


may i have this dance?

by cldstrf



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blowjobs, Dancing Lessons, Drinking, Drunken Confessions, Dry Humping, Eventual Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Light BDSM, M/M, Panic Attacks, Pining, Royal Ball, handjobs, protective ignis, self-depreciation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:54:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27251527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cldstrf/pseuds/cldstrf
Summary: prompto harbors feelings for a certain someone, but he dares not tell.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 20
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

Prompto takes in a deep breath. This would be fine. It’s just a dancing lesson. He knew he’d have to take one eventually! He was best friends with the crown prince! He’s only surprised it hasn’t happened sooner.

Still, at the tender age of twenty, Prompto was not cut out for learning anything like that. Too many skills, too much finesse to be learned, not nearly enough time. The ball he was being encouraged to attend was only a few days away. At first, he wasn’t planning on going. But it was for Noctis’... something.  _ You know, _ he hadn’t really been paying attention when it was brought up.

He stands in the middle of an empty room, in the halls of the citadel, where he awaits his teacher. He tried to dress nice for the occasion; a pair of slacks and his least gaudy button up shirt, yet he still wears his red-soled boots. Habit, he guessed. Nothing else felt quite as comfortable as the shoes he spends days at a time in, they were so worn in.

Trying to pass the time, he avoids looking at himself in the large mirror that was one of the walls of the room. A real studio, he guessed? Must’ve been something big back in the day. He’s not sure he’s ever seen anything about a ball or  _ whatever  _ this event is supposed to be, at least not in Insomnia. It would be easier to just not go, he knows, but he’d promised Noctis they would spend the night together after the fact. A wind-down from the official business that was being royalty. 

His instructor is taking entirely too much time. He pulls at his sleeves, trying to cover his hands with them as his gloves are off. It felt strange not wearing them, almost like he was naked. He feels similarly about the lack of his wristbands, his bandanas. His vest. He nearly took his eyebrow piercing out for it. This was so unsettling as a whole, he almost has half a mind to leave altogether. Noctis would understand, right? It wasn’t like they couldn’t still hang out afterwards, it just might not be immediate! That shouldn’t be too big of a deal… right?

Prompto’s back is to the door as it begins to open again, and he nearly jumps as a voice from the doorway sounds.

“My apologies,” he hears in that distinct voice that almost has him blushing. “It would seem I lost track of time in our preparations for the event.”

“H-hey, Iggy!” Prompto says as he turns around, rubbing at the back of his head. “I didn’t know that-- uh,” he laughs a little awkwardly, “that, uh, you were the teacher!” 

“Well, of course. It’s my duty to see that everything goes smoothly for Noct. I figure it is best for me to handle things in the meantime. Besides,” Ignis says, closing the door behind himself and fixing his glasses upon his face, “I know how you are. You need someone with patience. I’m more than willing to accept the task.” 

“Oh,” is all he says as he watches Ignis approach. Ignis, though no surprise, looks dashing as always. He wears subtle patterns in the suit he had that nobody else could rightly pull off. His gloves were silver. His hair was combed back perfectly. He looks much better than Prompto does-- but in Prompto’s mind, that was most of the time.

Prompto should’ve known. Why  _ wouldn’t  _ it be Ignis teaching him? He can’t think of anything to say as Ignis passes by, crossing the room towards a table that held a record player. He’d noticed it before, but didn’t think to examine it. There was a pile of vinyls next to it, one that Ignis searches through before setting one aside. He doesn’t place it onto the record player, but instead comes back around to Prompto, stopping before him. The blonde, for what it’s worth, tries his best to be cool.

“I take you’ve never danced before.” It’s not a question. It wasn’t like he was wrong, however.

“Not like this, no.”

Ignis adjusts his gloves, giving a short nod. “We’ll keep it simple then.” 

At this distance, Prompto can smell the cologne he wore, subtle like everything else about him but still heady enough to make Prompto… well. He doesn't want to think about it. But it's woodsy, comforting. He can hear Ignis speaking but can't follow the words, blinking a couple times before he notices he'd stopped. 

“Are you listening, Prompto?”

“Uh…”

Ignis huffs a laugh through his nose, closing his eyes. “Very well then. Put your left hand on my shoulder.” Prompto blinks again, but lifts his hand and rests it on his broad shoulder, feeling the smooth fabric under his fingers. “Give me your right hand.” Again, he does as requested, holding out his open hand until Ignis takes it in his own. He wishes, briefly, that Ignis’ hand was bare, to feel the skin of his palm against his own. “Prompto. Focus.”

“Right, right. Sorry.”

“Are you alright? Get enough sleep? I know it's rather early for you to be up, and I appreciate that you managed.”

“Yeah, I’m okay! Promise. Just not sure I’m gonna be very good at this.”

“Precisely why I’m your instructor.” Ignis says coolly. “Now,” he continues, placing his free hand onto Prompto’s waist. “This is called a box step. Stand with your feet aligned with your hips. You will step backwards with your right foot, then your left, parallel with the right. Try that now.”

Prompto gives an  _ uhh _ , but does as he's told, even if he does mix up which foot to step back with. Ignis is patient, as always, and steps forward with him once he gets the moves right. 

“Put your feet together. Good, good. Alright. left foot forward, then your right.” Prompto manages to get it right this time as Ignis steps back. “Then we turn at a ninety degree angle,” he guides Prompto to his left, “and then back in starting position.”

“Oh. That's it?”

“That's it. Nobody will expect you to do anything more than a basic waltz, if I’m being quite honest. It's more for formality’s sake than anything else. As I’m sure you know, as a member of the Crownsguard, you have to keep up appearances.”

“Right,” he says, though he's still a little baffled by it. He was nothing, and yet he's a part of the group that protects the royal family. It was hard to wrap his head around sometimes. Not that he wouldn't protect Noctis with his life. Or Ignis. Or Gladio. Honestly, he'd give up his life for anybody’s sake. But he doesn't tell Ignis that.

“I think you'll do just fine,” is said after a moment, making Prompto look up to him. “We’ll practice this a few more times. Go at your own pace. Once you feel you've got the hang of it, I’ll put on the music.”

Prompto nods, and with a sigh tries to recreate the steps he was just taught. It takes him a while to remember the steps correctly, and he huffs and grumbles every so often while Ignis quietly guides him. There are moments where he'll remind him of the moves, offer little encouragements, but never to reprimand him for a misstep. It's comforting, Prompto has to admit. Ignis was gentle with him, he typically was. Out of the three, he was probably the softest towards him, if only because Prompto’s relationship with Noctis was rowdy to begin with. Guess that's what happens when your best friend just longs to be normal sometimes. 

Maybe that was part of the reason Prompto likes Ignis as much as he does. 

_ Don't you dare let that one slip. _

“You're doing well,” Ignis says, alternating between watching their feet and looking at Prompto, whose eyes were glued to the floor. Ignis’ shoes clicked against the wooden floor while his own were rather clunky, but he is thankful of the support Ignis was giving him. “Though I do believe we'll have to find you some dress shoes. I could also tailor an old jacket of mine for you, as I'm sure you don't want to get fitted for one.”

He was pretty sure his hands were sweating, he was so nervous. Being so close to him was nerve wracking. And the offer of having one of his jackets? He appreciates it, absolutely, but it will have to be washed many times before he can wear it without turning into a bright red mess. Hopefully the other two wouldn't notice. 

“Black will be fine, yes?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah. Black’s fine.” Anything to keep from drawing attention to himself. “Any specific kind of dress code I should follow?”

“Slacks are fine. If you've got a solid color button up, that'll work. Perhaps a tie. I trust you know how to wear one?”

“I guess so.”

“As always, I’m willing to assist.” Prompto doesn't have much time to think about the offer before Ignis is releasing him, taking a step back to turn and approach the record player again. What he puts on is soft, more background than anything else, but he can pick up a rhythm that he thinks he can follow. “Alright.” Ignis returns, holding out a hand as the other settles back on Prompto’s waist. He takes the open one again, nervously curling his fingers on the fabric of Ignis’ shirt. “Now we'll try with the music. I’m going to lead, and I want you to just follow as best as you can.” 

Ignis waits for a moment for Prompto to gather himself before he steps forward. Prompto just barely manages to step backwards in time, and when it's his turn to come forward, he steps on Ignis’ shoe. “Oh, shit,” Prompto mutters, furrowing his brows slightly but Ignis simply brushes it off and urges him to power through it. 

“There will be some missteps. That's alright. Just keep going.”

As much as he tries, he fumbles a few more times to the point of frustration on his end. Prompto groans to show it, pulling his hand from the other man’s shoulder to drag it down the length of his face. 

“Don't fret. It's simply practice.” Ignis squeezes his waist briefly to bring him back around. “I know it can be irritating to learn a new skill. But you're doing well.” 

“I don't think I’m cut out for this kinda thing,” Prompto sighs, but returns his hand to his shoulder. “Maybe I should just stay home for the night. I don't want to embarrass you guys.”

“I’d like you to be there. We all would. You won't embarrass anybody. Come now,” Ignis says gently, “try again.”

Hearing that Ignis wants him there was nice. It was almost enough to make him move again. Ignis has to move him first with how long he stood there, but if it works, it works. Prompto gets it down for a few minutes before he once again steps on Ignis’ foot, giving a frustrated sigh.

“It’s quite alright, Prom, honestly. Would you like to take a break?”

“No, I-- I want to figure this out. I can do it, just,” Prompto glances up to him with a look on his face that he can't describe. “Just give me some time.”

“Right.”

They continue, and while he still missteps every so often, he eventually gets into the rhythm of it. He still has to watch his feet to make sure he doesn't mess up, and to avoid watching Ignis stare at him, but after a quick  _ chin up, Prom, _ he looks up. 

“You're doing well,” he repeats, “but let's try with you not staring at the floor.”

Prompto chews on the inside of his cheek before he looks up to Ignis. “Okay.” He doesn't look mad or upset in any way, though his expression is almost blank. He wonders what's going on in that head of his, but thinks better than to ask. “I’ll try.”

“Good,” he says, and a moment or so of Prompto staring at his chest, a corner of Ignis’ mouth quirks up into a half grin. “You know, it's a bit rude to avoid eye contact with your dance partner.”

“It is?” 

“It lets them know you're paying attention to them.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“I’m merely teasing, Prompto.” He reassures, “I don't mind. But if you manage to find a dance partner, it might be better to look at them to avoid hurting any feelings.”

“I guess.” Prompto eventually convinces himself to look up at those green eyes of his, which were trained on his freckled face. It was a little embarrassing to be watched so closely. Especially by somebody that holds his affections, however secretly that may be. He's held that little fact close to himself since they'd met. He likes Noctis and Gladio plenty, they're like brothers to him, but not Ignis. Something about him was just so nice. So comforting. 

“Better. Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” he sighs, and they step to the rhythm of the music. There's times where he looks down, but he reminds himself to look back up soon after. Ignis smiles at him every so often with soft encouragements, making Prompto’s head feel a little big. Getting compliments from Ignis was praise he always craved, but never knew how to ask for. 

“You’re doing well,” Ignis says after a while, where Prompto hadn’t stumbled any for a few minutes, “I think you’ve got it down. I won’t ask you to practice; I know that’s not much of your style.”

“You got me there.” 

“Either way, I think we’re set to stop for now. I’ve reserved the room for tomorrow as well, but I don’t expect you to come for another lesson. I admit, I had figured you would take longer to get it down.”

“Wow, thanks,” Prompto laughs. “I do my best not to disappoint!” 

Ignis releases his hold on Prompto, moving around him to stop the music. Prompto turns to watch his back, his broad shoulders. He avoids looking below his belt. Best not to do that. 

“Right then.” He turns back to Prompto, watching him for only a moment before his head tilts slightly to the side. “Is there anything I can help you with, now that we’re finished? I’ll get on the tailoring once I’m home, I should have it ready for you by the event. And, what is your shoe size?”

“Um. I can get the shoes.” He’s not sure he can afford expensive shoes. He was a little too proud to ask for money, and most of the pay he got from being in the Crownsguard went towards rent and utilities for his apartment. But the last thing he wants to do is inconvenience Ignis more than he already was.

“If you’re sure. Thank you for coming today, Prompto. But if you’ll excuse me,” he bows his head briefly before walking past Prompto. “I’ve got some other business I must attend to.”

“Y-yeah! Of course!” He turns to watch him leave, and as the door closes behind the man, he wants to sink into the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Pulling on his new jacket, Prompto sighs.

It was the night of the ball. He was still in his apartment, still contemplating staying home. He tries to remind himself that Ignis himself had asked him to come, long with Noctis’ original request in the first place.

Gladiolus was on his way to get him; his jeep was in the shop, all the way in Hammerhead. Cindy was the best mechanic, after all. He looks himself over in the mirror one last time. He had the jacket now, with his black slacks that he’d worn to the lesson, and a light blue button up. He was fussing with his dark blue tie, something that he was trying to figure out through pictures on his phone, but it didn’t look  _ right _ and it was incredibly disheartening for him at the moment. 

A honk outside startles him, and he shoves his phone into his pocket. Patting his pockets, he makes sure he has everything. Keys. Wallet. Phone. He’s pretty sure that’s all he needs. If he forgets something, well. Shit.

He’s in the middle of putting on his new, uncomfortable shoes when there’s a knock at the door, and he calls out, “hang on! Jeez.” 

Once they’re on, he opens the door to see Gladio standing there, arms crossed.

“You’re not thinking of ditching, are you?” He asks, making Prompto sigh.

“No. I’m just kinda nervous.” 

“What for? Let me fix that.” He reaches out before Prompto can protest, undoing his tie to do it correctly for him. “Would’ve thought Ignis would show you how to do this.”

“I told him I knew how to do it,” he mutters, and Gladiolus raises a brow. “I dunno. I didn’t want to embarrass myself.”

“So you were going to go into the place with that mess around your neck instead?”

“Whatever. Let’s just go.” Prompto pushes him back a little to close the door once he’s outside, locking it and looking over to Gladio’s car. It was nicer than his jeep, but he’s fond of his own ride regardless. “I just want to get this over with.”

“What’s the big deal? I know it’s your first time to one of these things, but they’re not so bad.”

“It’s not that. I’m just-- Nevermind.” He sighs after they’re both in the car again. It’s not too far of a ride to the citadel, but lengthy enough that Gladio has plenty of time to question him, questions that he does his best to dodge.

“How were the dancing lessons?” He eventually asks.

“Fine.”

“Are you going to be a brat the whole time?”

“I’m not being a brat! I just don’t understand why I have to go. I’m gonna freak! I’m gonna embarrass myself somehow, I know it!” Prompto groans, hiding his face in his hands. He can feel Gladiolus looking at him questioningly, but at least for the moment he doesn’t say anything.

“Something happen at those lessons?”

“ _ No. _ Just-- it’s nothing. I’m just nervous.” 

“There’s nothing to be nervous about. It’s just a ball. There’s just going to be the whole city there, and nobles from out of town, and--”

“ _ Gladio. _ ”

“Alright, alright. Sorry. My point is, nobody is going to pay attention to you. I mean that in the nicest way possible. There’s going to be tons of people there, so just play it cool and you won’t draw attention to yourself.”

Prompto groans again, dropping his head back against the seat’s headrest. “I guess.”

The ride is silent the rest of the way. It's almost agonizing. On the way there, Prompto thinks. 

Gladio must be suspicious of him. He keeps mentioning the lesson as though he knows. But nothing had happened! He did go in the second lesson, but nothing had happened then. They just talked briefly, where Ignis handed off his jacket that somehow seemed to fit perfectly and smelled heavenly.  _ You look good,  _ he'd said when Prompto pulled it on. He's been thinking about it since.

“We're here.” Gladiolus says, snapping Prompto back to the present. They step out of the car and Gladio waits for the blonde to stand beside him, throwing his arm around his shoulders. “It’ll be fine. Trust me. It’ll all be worth it.”

“Alright.”

They go inside and already there's got to be a hundred people there. Prompto shuts his eyes tight for a moment before they are swept up by the crowd. Gladio had let go at one point, leaving Prompto alone and wondering where he'd gone. Gladio was so tall, he should've been impossible to miss. 

He looks around, turning every few seconds to see if there was anybody he recognized. With nobody in sight, he feels his breath coming a little faster.  _ Oh god. _ He’s freaking out.  _ Breathe, dude.  _ He swallows thickly, blinking a few times and letting out a slow, heavy breath. 

Prompto starts to move through the dozens of people around him. He tries to keep himself as small as possible, looking for a wall to lean against before he could look for a door to escape into. He's trying to be steady on his feet, and he yelps and nearly stumbles over when a hand grabs his wrist, tugging him backwards and into a warm body.

“Prompto!” He hears, turning around quickly to see Cindy there. “Hey, hun! I thought that was you!”

“C-Cindy?” He breathes out, eyes searching her face a little panicked. 

“Yeah! Oh, baby, what's wrong?” Her smile turns into a little frown, putting her hands on his shoulders to smooth them down his arms. “You look upset. Somethin' happen?” He doesn't get a chance to answer before she looks over her shoulder. “Stel, babe, can you c’mere?”

Another woman approaches from a few feet away. They both look beautiful, he noticed offhandedly, but can't get his mouth to form the words. Was it the amount of people? The nerves of completely fucking this up for Noctis probably had something to do with it too.  _ Fuck,  _ if only he hadn't come, he wouldn't have freaked out and embarrassed himself so quickly and--

“Prompto.” Cindy says carefully, squeezing his hands. “Deep breaths, suge. You're okay.” She sees him looking at Stella, then looks back to him. “This is my girlfriend. She's Luna’s sister. She's good people. You're okay,” she repeats. “Let's get you some water.”

“I-I’m fine.” 

“Then come with us anyway. Please, for your favorite mechanic in the whole wide world?”

When she pouts like that, even he can't say no. “Okay,” he whispers, letting Cindy hook their arms together as they move through the crowd once more. Cindy knows exactly where to go, it seems, and he looks over to see Stella holding two flute glasses.  _ Ah.  _ Makes sense. 

They reach the table that held the refreshments, and Cindy pours him a cup of water, taking his hands to hand it to him. “Drink.”

Prompto nods as he lifts the cup, taking a few sips. It doesn't seem to satisfy her, as she tips the cup up just a little to encourage him to drink more. Once he finishes off the cup, he lets out a heavy sigh. 

“Are you feeling alright?” Stella asks, standing on his other side. He didn't know her, but she was kind to him already. Both of them being there help put him at ease, however slowly that may be. 

“I’m okay. I’m okay,” he repeats when Cindy narrows her eyes at him. “Honest. It was just a little freak out! That's all.”

“What made you freak out?”

“Uhh… Gladio mentioned there being a lot of people here. I guess I wasn't ready for it.” Cindy takes her glass back from Stella, the two of them watching him as he tries to explain himself. “Um. Please don't tell the guys about this. I’m embarrassed enough as it is.”

“Our li’l secret.” Cindy says, holding out her pinkie finger. Prompto accepts this form of promise easily, giving a relieved sigh. “But I tell you what. You got my number, I got my phone. You need anythin’, and I mean it, you text me and I’ll come runnin’.”

“I-I don't want to get in the way of your time with your girlfriend,” he stutters, peeking over to Stella. One part of him was a little jealous. He really likes Ignis, but Cindy is beautiful. The other, larger part of his brain was relieved that he wouldn't have to keep up those appearances anymore. 

“I don't mind. You're a friend of Cindy's. I want you to be alright.”

“Thanks,” he finally says. 

“Oh!” Cindy says suddenly, pointing over Prompto’s shoulder. “There's Noct and Luna! Heyyy!!” She lifts her hand to wave, alerting them of her presence to invite them over.

“Lunafreya,” Stella says as the two approach. They hug, and Cindy squeezes Noctis’ arm in a playful greeting. 

What Prompto doesn't expect is for another hand to rest on his shoulder, making him turn to see Ignis standing there.  _ Oh god. _

“Glad to see you all could make it.” Noctis says, looking between everyone, though his eyes linger on Prompto for a moment longer. They squint slightly, but he comes in to pull Prompto into a hug regardless. “Especially you. New cologne?”

_ Oh fuck.  _

“Haha, yeah! Thought I'd try something new.”

“Gladio bring you? Where is he, anyway?”

“Don't ask me!” Prompto says, shaking his head. “He just walked off when we got here!” 

“I’m right here,” Gladiolus says from nearby, crossing his arms over his chest, with Iris in tow. “Guess you weren't listening when I said I was going to see Iris.”

“Oh.”

Cindy squeezes his wrist, but moves to wrap her arm around Stella’s waist. “We’ll let y’all catch up. Luna?”

“Of course,” Lunafreya says, kissing Noctis on the cheek before she wanders off with the other two.

“Hi, Prompto,” Iris says, waving to him.

“Hey, Iris!” He grins, leaning over her way to speak behind a hand. “Doesn’t Noct look nice?”

“Oh, stop that,” she scoffs, rolling her eyes and giving him a push away. Prompto just laughs, patting her back once.

“I’m just messing with you.”

“He’s right there!”

“Who’s right there?” Noctis asks, having heard Prompto’s little tease. 

“Hey, hey. Leave her alone. I know what you two are up to.”

“I just asked a question.” 

Gladio responds with something that Prompto doesn't quite catch, having turned his attention down to the empty cup in his hand. But whatever was said had him, Noctis, and Iris stuck in conversation. Prompto excludes himself by sneaking off to toss the cup. It wasn't like Gladiolus was going after him to come back.

The cup thrown away, Prompto turns to look around. There were tons of people now. Yet the place wasn't packed yet.  _ Jeez.  _ He doesn't see Ignis approach him until a glass is held his way, bringing his gaze back towards him. He wears mostly black, but a silky silver shirt to match his gloves made him stand out in the crowd. “Thanks,” he says, taking the offered glass. He stares at the champagne in the glass. Champagne was usually too fancy for him, but, well. That was the whole point, wasn't it?

“Happy to see you made it, Prompto.” Ignis says after taking a drink from his glass. His free hand was in the front pocket of his slacks, while Prompto had both hands holding his own glass.

“Yeah, of course.” He doesn’t mention his little mishap earlier. But from the way Ignis was eyeing him, he was pretty sure he could tell.

“Something the matter?”

“No, Ignis,” he sighs, shaking his head as he swirls his drink around in the glass.

“Prompto, you know you can tell me anything.”

“I know.” He says it in a whisper, eyes cast downward. He knows he can, but he doesn’t. There’s plenty he doesn’t tell them. He’s a complicated guy. He doesn’t speak of his insecurities. He doesn’t speak about his feelings. Most of the time he’s putting on a front to keep everyone from worrying about him.

But honestly, he feels worthless. This much, he’s pretty sure Ignis can gather. He’s intuitive like that. 

He wonders why he was allowed into the Crownsguard. Sure, he was pretty good with a gun and machines, and he’d jump in front of anything sent Noctis’ way. He guesses that’s all they need. A quick shot and a body shield. Prompto leans back against the wall, trying not to depress himself further than he already has. 

“In due time, I suppose.” Ignis eventually settles on. Prompto doesn’t want to say how unlikely that was. 

“Yeah.” 

Ignis follows Prompto’s gaze, out into the crowd. They couldn’t see their little group of friends from here, but they could still watch others. There were plenty of blacks and whites and grays in the crowd, very little color. Prompto starts to feel a little out of place in his blue. Cindy and Stella had both worn all black, along with Noctis and Gladiolus. Lunafreya wore all white, while Iris had some red on hers. He fusses at his tie a little, trying to loosen it slightly. 

“You chose a nice color.” Ignis says after some time has passed. “The blue. The monochromatic feel was getting a little boring.”

Prompto smiles to himself, biting on the edge of his lip. “Don’t look anywhere near as good as you, in your silk shirt.”

“Too much?”

“I like it. Looks smooth.”

“Feels it.” 

“And expensive.”

“I may have paid a penny or two.” 

Prompto was just lucky he had this shirt on hand. He doesn’t typically like subtle. Not on himself. His shirts usually had strange patterns or colors whenever he wasn’t wearing his black uniforms. Ignis does subtle very well, even when his vests have leopard print on them. It was so strange how he managed to pull that off. Especially with a surely lavish lifestyle such as his. He was the  _ royal adviser.  _ He had so much to deal with, but so much power at the same time.

There was no way he could ever have him.

There’s a microphone that sounds somewhere from the middle of the room, up on the stairs. He can see the king, making an announcement, but Prompto doesn’t follow it. He had too much going on in his head. 

He downs the rest of his glass, setting it aside and watching pairs gather together in the center. Music begins to play overhead, and as the crowds migrate to the sides of the room and up the stairs, while couples take the center. 

He can see Noctis and Lunafreya together, starting the dance that Prompto should’ve expected to have happened at some point. Maybe not this early, but some point. Looking around, he can see Cindy and Stella, and Gladiolus humoring Iris also in the center, leaving him and Ignis alone. He expects Ignis to be swept off by duties or maybe even a woman that was surely eyeing him over, but Ignis still stands by him.

“Well,” Ignis finally says, moments after the dancing has started, and right after he finishes his champagne. “Care to dance?”

“Huh?” Prompto sounds shocked. He hadn’t expected that at all. Ignis wasn’t looking at him, but instead out into the crowd. 

“I’d be remiss if I let my efforts go to waste, you see.” 

The blonde laughs nervously, tugging at his sleeves idly. “All that just to dance with me, huh? I’d almost think you planned this.”

“What answer would you like to hear?”

Prompto doesn’t know how to answer that. 

“Right. Shall we?”

“Okay,” his voice sounds small, unintentionally. Ignis places his empty glass down beside Prompto’s, then extends his arm towards him. Prompto just takes it quietly, looking around to see if anybody was  _ watching _ them. Some people were, but Ignis pays them no mind as they take a spot near the middle of the circle. Less bystanders to watch them, as they were surrounded by moving couples. 

“Remember what I taught you?”

“I think so.”

“Follow my lead.”

Prompto takes his step back, falling into an unsteady rhythm as he’s turned every few steps. He’s prevented from bumping into anybody by Ignis’ hand on his waist, keeping him just out of reach of others and for that he is incredibly thankful. The last thing he wants to do is attract attention to himself. 

It’s not that he’s  _ ashamed  _ of his preference towards men, but when that preference was towards Ignis of all people, it was difficult to navigate. There were so many obstacles… Noctis, for one. How could he possibly get with his best friend’s adviser? What if that went horribly wrong? He’d tear the group apart. It would be all his fault. Not to mention he’s not even royalty, which Ignis deserves somebody at least of his own status. 

It was all so incredibly frustrating and disheartening to think about that Ignis has to squeeze his hand to bring him back around.

“Breathe,” Ignis says quietly. “It’s alright.” 

Oh, if only he knew.

“Eyes up here.” Prompto realizes after that that he’d been staring at the silk fabric in front of him, but not at Ignis himself.  _ Right. _ He looks up, and Ignis smiles at him. “Good.”

However uncertain he may feel, at least this moment was… good.

“Hey, Igs,” Prompto hears, looking up to see Cindy and Stella nearby. When had that happened? “Mind if I steal your date?”

“D-d--”

“Not at all.” Ignis answers, releasing Prompto to step back. Cindy eagerly takes his place, and Prompto looks between her and Ignis, his eyes a little wide. “Your majesty,” he continues, directed towards Stella, and they switch. Ignis and Stella move off elsewhere, something Prompto doesn’t notice until he looks up from the floor as he and Cindy move to the rhythm of the music. It’s a little more clumsy with her; he had mostly been following Ignis’ lead, but Cindy doesn’t seem to care.

“So,” she starts, giving him a little look. “Yeah?”

“Uh… yeah what?”

“You like him?”

“Wh--” 

“Oh, c’mon, Prom. Your face is all red. Does he know?”

“ _ No. _ ” He answers quickly, a little too quickly. “I don’t like him,” he adds on, but he knows it’s too late. Cindy is too smart, too intuitive and cunning to not pick up on it. “It’s… nothing serious.”

“Aw. I’m rootin’ for ya, hun.” 

“There’s nothing to root for,” Prompto insists, becoming more embarrassed by the second. Was he that obvious? He tries to convince himself that Cindy just knows too much. She can read people well, right? Nothing he did. She just knows him. Maybe she’s even just throwing out accusations to see if something sticks? He doesn’t know. “Seriously. You think I can get a guy like that? No way.”

“I think he likes you.”

“Don’t say things that aren’t true, Cind, come on.”

“I’m not lyin’, if that’s what you’re implyin’.” 

“How do you know?”

“I don’t. Just a hunch.” 

“Why do you say that?”

“I saw how he was lookin’ at you. You must be real oblivious, huh?”

“Hey,” he clicks his tongue against his teeth, a furrow in his brows. “So what?”

“Believe me or don’t, whatever. I’m just lettin’ you know what I think.”

Prompto sighs. He doesn’t believe her, quite frankly. How could he? He trusts Cindy, but this was just ridiculous. He doesn’t say much for a while, instead asking about Stella once and letting Cindy go on. They seem to work together. He’s happy for her. They were quite the stunning couple. 

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Prompto eventually says, trying to excuse himself. He needs a minute to just get away. “Thanks for the dance. It was nice! Really.” Cindy doesn’t have a chance to say anything else before he’s hurrying away, going down one of the halls in the citadel to escape. 

He goes to the farthest bathroom he knows of. It’s all the way across the place, and he was practically running by the time he reached it. Shutting the door behind himself and quickly flipping the lock, he sinks down onto the tile floor.

“God…” He whispers, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Could he be any more pathetic? There are a few minutes where he stays in that spot, only moving once his phone vibrates in his pocket. He takes it out to see a message from Cindy.

**_Hope I didn’t upset you! Just want what’s best for my favorite boy._ **

He doesn’t answer it. He’ll get to it later. He doesn’t want to think about it right now. Instead he scrolls through social media on his phone, doing anything he could to pass the time. Nobody would be coming this way. He could stay in here for as long as he wanted.

Noctis is the one that texts him next.  **_Where’d you go?_ ** __

_ Oh, you know! _

**_Not really. Get back out here._ **

_ Ummm, I’m peeing? _

**_Whatever. Just come back when you’re done._ **

Prompto drops his face into his hands. It still takes him a moment or two to get up, exiting the bathroom and slowly making his way back down to the event. There’s still plenty of people in the room, but this time he can see Gladiolus standing off by the entrance. Ducking and dodging his way through the crowd, he approaches him to see him with Ignis and Noctis, who was kissing Lunafreya and he vaguely hears a  _ goodnight, Luna  _ from him before she nods to the boys and walks away.

“What’s up?” Prompto says, trying to put on his chipper facade. It works well enough. It usually does, now that he’s had some time to himself. 

“Let’s get out of here,” Noctis answers, loosening his tie and stepping towards the door.

“Huh? Already?”

“We’ve been here for hours, Prompto. What do you mean?”

“Oh.” He really must’ve lost track of time. 

“You didn’t forget about tonight, did you?”

“Uh… no! Of course not!” He did. Not intentionally. He knew they were hanging out tonight, but if there was a specific reason, well. He certainly couldn’t remember it. 

“Ugh. Come on.” 

The four of them exit the citadel, and as they step outside, the first thing Prompto notices is the sleek white limousine waiting there. His mouth falls open in surprise, and Gladio chuckles.

“Never seen one before?”

“What? Of course I have! Just… not up close.”

“Well, aren’t you in for a treat?” Noctis says, and while Prompto looks at him questioningly, Ignis approaches the vehicle to open the door. “Get in.” 

“What?”

  
“Get in. Come on.” Noctis shoves him jokingly towards the limousine, making him stumble before Ignis catches him by the arm to avoid him tumbling over. 

“Play nice.” He scolds lightly.

“I’m being nice,” Noctis retorts. 

Prompto just looks at the limousine again, but finally slips inside it, taking one of the seats along the side. Noctis comes in next, across from him, then Gladio, then Ignis, who both take the back seats. The door is shut, and Noctis looks over to the driver to give the address.

“Where are we going?” Prompto asks, but is met with nothing in response. “Come on, guys. Secrets aren’t cool, dudes.” 

“It’s not a secret. You’ll see soon enough.” Gladiolus answers, making Prompto roll his eyes. He’s a little fed up at this point, if he’s being honest, and he crosses his arms to lean back into the seats, going quiet.

The other three, however, have no problem filling the silence. But Prompto doesn’t listen. No, he's got too much on his mind to listen to whatever it was they were talking about. As long as he doesn't hear his name, he doesn't really have to listen, does he?

Suddenly, Gladio is snapping his fingers in front of Prompto’s face. “Hey, we're here.” 

Ignis and Noctis are already out by the time Prompto notices they've stopped. He looks out the window to see a seedy looking bar, and he's rightfully confused. 

“Let's go.”

“What are we doing here?” Prompto asks once they're all out and the limo is driving off. He asks in vain, however, as nobody answers him and instead enters the bar.

Prompto is getting pretty bothered with the treatment. He nearly stomps in after them, and he's inside, the others are all sitting at the counter. 

“Four shots of tequila,” Gladiolus says to the bartender, and Prompto goes from upset to confused. 

“Come here, Prompto.” Ignis calls his way, gesturing for him to sit between him and Noctis. As upset as he was by the earlier treatment, he joins them anyway. 

The shots are placed before them, and Noctis hands them out. They all turn to Prompto, raising their shot glasses. 

“Happy birthday, Prom.” He says, smiling to the blonde who is even more confused than he was before.

Then he remembers.

“Oh my god. You guys. I totally forgot.” Prompto admits, an awkward laugh escaping him. He was so worried about the ball that he'd forgotten his birthday was today. 

“You can drink now.” Gladio laughs.

“Ready, Prompto?” Ignis asks.

“Uh…” He lifts his shot glass, about to take a sniff before Gladio shakes his head. 

“No, no. Don't turn yourself off from it. I promise it tastes better than it smells.” 

“Oh, jesus. Okay,”

“One…” 

“Two.”

“Three.”

And with that, they drink.


	3. Chapter 3

“Oh my  _ god _ ,” Prompto chokes out as he sets the shot glass down. He coughs and splutters, making Gladiolus laugh and Noctis pat at his back. 

“Perhaps tequila was a bit much, Gladio,” Ignis says, raising a hand to ask for a glass of water and setting it in front of Prompto. “Drink.” 

Prompto hurries to take the glass, downing half of it at once. “Holy shit, guys. That was  _ awful. _ You guys drink that?”

“Not typically.” Ignis answers, looking over to Gladiolus. “Maybe he does. I prefer cocktails whenever possible. More interesting.”

“Rum and coke, usually.” Noctis adds his preference, then looks to Gladio. 

“Shots. I’m a big guy, what can I say?”

“My mouth is watering. I feel like I’m gonna throw up.”

“You won’t. Just give it a moment. Drink more water.”

“It’s just the once, Prom. Don’t worry. I won’t make you do it again.” Noctis reassures while Ignis orders him a drink that he’s pretty sure Prompto will not mind.

The drink set in front of him is red, and Prompto eyes it uncertainly. 

“It’s a daiquiri. I think you’ll find it quite pleasant.” Ignis says, getting a martini for himself. Noctis gets his preferred rum and coke, while Gladio orders a beer,  _ if only to prevent Prompto from getting sick. _

Prompto takes his glass, sniffing it idly before he takes a sip. It’s sweet. Something he doesn’t expect. He hardly tastes any alcohol at all. “What is this?”

“Strawberry. Are your taste buds shot already?”

“Guess so. It’s good, though.” 

“Just go easy. It’s your first time drinking anything that isn’t beer, right?” 

“Don’t out me, we’re in public.” Prompto hisses to Noctis after he says it, who scoffs.

“I’m the prince? I don’t think anybody will stop us.”

“He’s got a point,” Gladio adds, drinking from his bottle. Prompto gives, taking another sip from his glass. It was really good, he decides, but he tries to keep it cool while he drinks it. He doesn’t want to get too drunk too fast, which seems to be exactly what at least half of them wanted to achieve. 

They talk. About nothing, really. Some about the ball, wondering what they were doing during the times they were separated. Gladio brags a bit about a beautiful woman he’d danced with, and Prompto smugly points out that he got to dance with Cindy.

“Daaaamn. Look at you, birthday boy. Must’ve been a dream come true.”

“It was. But she’s taken.” Prompto sighs, shaking his head. He’s not upset about it, but he still feels obligated to pretend he was. “I give, I give. As long as she’s happy, I accept my lost chance.”

There’s more talk about plans to go out as a group. A fishing trip, perhaps? Prompto would drive, take his off-roading jeep once it was out of the shop. It was a nice idea. He was happy just to be with his friends, even if there were some obstacles in the way. None that he couldn't handle. None that he hasn’t handled before, rather. 

Prompto notices along the line that there’s not many people here. He’s surprised the place is even open since it looks like it’s just the four of them for the most part, but he’s having fun. He’d finished his first drink, asked for something equally as fruity, which Ignis ordered for him. This one was orangey, but he enjoys it the same as the first.

This one, however, he drinks a little quicker than the first. His water is ignored, telling himself he’ll use it if he takes another shot despite being told he wouldn’t have to take any more. It’s when Gladio asks for a shot of his own, rum this time, that Prompto asks if he could try again. 

“Are you sure, Prompto?” Ignis asks, and Prompto nods. 

“I won't bitch this time, honest.” 

Noctis and Gladio, on the other hand, look excited that he's willing to give it another go.

As the two shots are set down, he and Gladio clink their glasses together before they throw the shots back. Prompto doesn't say anything this time, but his face does contort slightly, furrowing his brows as his nose scrunches up. 

“Hey, you're doing better already.” 

Ignis watches him carefully but says nothing. Prompto, on the other hand, feels warm and a little more relaxed despite the sour taste in his mouth. 

“Want another? Think we found your poison.” 

“Give this a try,” Noctis offers as he pushes his rum and coke in his direction. Prompto accepts it, taking a drink and nodding slowly.

“That's not bad either,” he gives, looking over to Ignis who was still nursing his first drink. Always like him to be the responsible one. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Good. Great!” He answers, smiling at the three of them. “Thanks, guys. This is nice.”

They continue to drink, Prompto trying out various things to see what he likes the most. Admittedly, he drinks a little too much, and he knows Ignis can tell and is getting the idea that the other two are starting to think so as well.

“Gotta pee,” Prompto says after a while, standing up from the counter and nearly stumbling. Noctis is the one that rights him, brows raised.

“Didn't you go before we came here?”

“Mmm… nope.” He grins, then manages to get himself to the restroom without incident. Truthfully, he doesn't have to go. Prompto doesn't exactly know what it's like being drunk, but when his stomach starts to turn after mixing liquors, he drops down onto the tiled floor before the toilet and retches. 

Suddenly his head is killing him. He's hugging the toilet bowl as he spits into the water, gagging as quietly as he can as to not bring attention to himself. It's a single bathroom, but he's not sure he locked the door before he had doubled over. 

“Oh fuck,” he mutters, running a hand through his hair to push it from his face. He undoes his tie, letting it hang around his neck and opens the first couple of buttons on his shirt just to air out a bit. He looks like a wreck already, no doubt. It didn't hit him this hard until he had stood up, and he immediately regrets allowing himself to drink as much as he had. 

Prompto doesn't hear the door open, but he doesn't move regardless when a hand rests on his back, rubbing small circles into his shirt with their thumb.

“Sorry,” Prompto says, having a feeling that he knows who it was.

“Not a problem.” Ignis replies smoothly. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Drunk. I think.”

“You are. That's to be expected.”

Prompto clears his throat, and Ignis helps him stand. He reaches into his pocket to hold out a pack of gum, letting Prompto take any many pieces as he wants. He takes a couple, popping them into his mouth and sighing. “Thanks.”

Ignis stands there, his hands behind his back. He waits for Prompto to do something, but all he does is approach him, putting his forehead to Ignis’ shoulder. Ignis moves a hand to pat at Prompto’s back. He appreciates it. 

Prompto stays there for a while, much too long for comfort he was sure, but he doesn't move away. He lifts his hands, running them up and down Ignis’ chest. He thinks, for a moment, that Ignis shivers from the touch, but doesn't think to ask.

“Prompto,” Ignis says with a clearing of this throat. Trying to alleviate the situation, probably, though he’s not really doing anything. Maybe his touches are lingering a little too long. But Ignis is just so warm and comfortable to be around right now… “Prompto?”

“I like this.” He mumbles, not thinking about it until it had slipped out of his mouth. “It’s nice.” 

“Hm,” Ignis hums. He doesn’t show that he feels any particular way about it. 

“Do you think it’s nice?”

“It’s alright.”

“Just alright?”

“Prompto…” 

“You know, Cindy thinks I like you.”

“I don’t think this is the best--”

“I think I do too.”

Ignis doesn’t say anything about that. 

Instead of saying anything, Ignis takes Prompto by the shoulders, pulling them apart and giving him a conflicted look. Prompto doesn’t need him to say anything. The look alone is all he needs. Prompto steps away, bringing his hands in to wrap around himself as he backs up towards the door.

“Prompto, wait,” Ignis tries, but Prompto is already out of the door. He’s out of the bar, running past Noctis and Gladio, who were confused and trying to get his attention before he escapes.

He runs home. He runs until he’s breathless and then some, as fast as he can and by the time he reaches his apartment, his lungs burn. The wind whipped away at his face as he ran, leaving his face red and his breathing coming out as wheezing. 

He just barely gets the door closed when he collapses to the floor, feeling himself hyperventilate. 

“Stupid. Stupid!” Prompto grits out, dropping his head onto the carpet and burying his face into it. His eyes sting. “Why did you say that? Idiot!” 

Lying on the floor, Prompto doesn’t move. He aches. He hurts. Hiding his face in the crook of his arm, he cries quietly into his sleeve. “I ruined it.  _ God! _ ” What had he expected? Everyone kept bombarding him with questions about Ignis. Accusing him. Had he thought he could ignore it? Let it go? And then to drink with all that on his mind,  _ fuck _ , why couldn’t it have been Noctis to check on him? 

All the while, he ignores the buzzing of his phone. It’s been nonstop since he left the bar. He ran quite for some time, and he hopes the others don’t think he’s sensible enough to have run the whole way home, with how far away they had been. If they go looking for him, he doesn’t want them to stop here. He just wants to sleep.

And he does just that.


	4. Chapter 4

Days have passed.

Prompto has holed himself up in his apartment since their outing. He hasn’t contacted anybody, though he sees at least a dozen voicemails from his three friends before he turns his phone off completely. He hasn’t left his bed in hours, staring up at the ceiling in silence.

His eyes were red and puffy, he was sure. The past few days, he’s been crying out of frustration for forgetting himself, out of fear that he’s lost his best friends. Ignis had to have told them. They were going to hate him, he knows it. The idea makes his eyes burn, causing him to shut them tightly as he presses the heels of his palms to his eyes. He was  _ so stupid. _ Ignis could never feel that way about him. Now they have to live with the fact that he harbors unrequited feelings for him, and they’ll just have to pretend nothing is wrong, though he’s sure nothing will ever be the same again.

“God dammit,” he whispers, turning onto his side to curl up into a ball, trying to disappear from the world. His blanket is pulled over his head, sniffling to himself. 

He must’ve fallen asleep at some point, because he wakes up with a start when there’s a knocking on his front door.  _ Oh no. _ He doesn’t dare move. It’s quick, bordering on urgent sounding, but still he stays in his bed. He can’t. He won’t. 

The knocking goes on for another minute or so before it stops. Then, he hears the door creaking open and Prompto grits his teeth. It’s only made worse when he hears who had entered.

“Prompto?” Ignis calls out, and the door creaks back shut. “Prompto, are you home?”

Obviously, he doesn’t answer. He puts his hands over his ears and curses the fact that his floor is carpeted, meaning he can’t hear Ignis walking throughout the apartment unless he’s speaking his name into empty rooms. 

His name is said right outside his door, then the knob jiggles. He’d locked the door when he came in last. He thanks himself for that at least. 

“Prompto,” Ignis repeats, “I’m almost positive you're in there.” He doesn't confirm or deny. “Please, can we talk?” 

Prompto doesn't want to talk. He stays in bed.

Another try at the doorknob, to no avail. “I really don't want to have to break the door down to make sure you're alive.” A pause. “I’ll do it, you know.”

Yeah, he knows. Knows he's full of shit. But maybe he was worried enough that he would actually do it. That'd make no sense in his mind. But Prompto gets out of the bed anyway, dragging his feet as he approaches the door and unlocks it to open it.

Prompto looks positively miserable. He was still in half of the clothes from the ball, his hair was tangled, his eyes had bags. His face is swollen and splotchy, something he tries to hide by staring at the floor.

“Oh, Prompto,” he breathes out, putting his hands on his shoulders to bring him in close. Prompto, against his better judgment, presses his face into his shoulder, gripping tightly at the front of his jacket and shaking his head. “I’m so relieved you're alright.”

The blonde chokes out a sound, muffled in his collar. 

“You look terrible,” he says, and he knows Ignis is putting it nicely. He probably reeks to boot, and knows that it must be difficult for Ignis to be so close to him right now. “Come here.” Ignis urges him to follow as he's pulled towards the bathroom. Prompto doesn't have the energy to stop him, placed in front of the mirror where he avoids looking at himself. Ignis turns on the shower, letting the water heat up before turning to Prompto. “Brush your teeth.” He instructs, and though he doesn't want to move, he does as he's told.

As he brushes, Ignis combs out the tangles in his hair. It's… odd. He feels a little pampered. Ignis occasionally musses up his hair to see if any knots were left, and Prompto closes his eyes for a while every time. It must’ve taken him five minutes to finish, well after Ignis had finished combing.

After rinsing out his mouth, he dries his face on his sleeve as Ignis turns him around, quietly undoing the buttons of his shirt. It makes him flush red from how intimate it was. “You've wrinkled it. I suppose I’ll have to iron these out for you.” Prompto says nothing, and Ignis looks to him with a small sigh through his nose. “I’ll make some coffee. Get in the shower.” 

Prompto just nods, waiting for Ignis to go into the kitchen to finish undressing and get into the shower. The water is hot, and he hisses through his teeth until he's able to turn it down. With the temperature comfortable, he stands for a long time, not even moving until his skin’s red to actually clean himself up.

Half an hour later, he pulls back the curtain to see a change of clothes on the sink. A tank top and a pair of sweats, much more comfortable than what he'd lived in for the past few days. He pulls them on and walks out into the hallway, then over to the kitchen. Ignis was sitting at the table, a cup of black coffee in his hand and another set beside him, but it was nearly white with how much milk and sugar there was in it. Prompto takes the seat where the second mug was placed, wrapping his hands around it and staring at the table.

“Thanks,” he eventually mutters, looking to Ignis from the corner of his eye. Ignis simply nods before they sit there in silence.

Ignis is the first one to speak, of course. “Prompto, I--” he starts, but Prompto is immediately speaking at a hundred miles a minute.

“Ig, I’m so sorry about what I did. That was completely inappropriate of me and I shouldn’t have done it. I get it if you’re mad at me and don’t want to talk to me anymore, but please don’t--” Prompto bites on his lip to hold back a whimper. “Please don’t tell Noct and Gladio. I don’t want them to hate me for--”

“What?” Ignis says incredulously. “Hate you? Why would they hate you? And why would I be mad at you?” Prompto shakes his head, causing Ignis to move his chair to sit at the blonde’s side. “Prompto. Please understand. You were drinking. I can’t take advantage of you like that.”

“I know, but--”

“Prompto,” he stops him, putting a hand on his cheek to guide him to look his way. “Listen to me, darling.” The pet name has him stunned silent within the second. “I like you as well.” 

Prompto’s breath catches in his throat, letting go of his mug to put a hand on Ignis’ wrist, while the other reaches for the crook of his elbow. His fingers curl into his sleeve, blinking up at him and chewing on his lip. “But,” he finally starts, “but why didn't you say anything?”

“Prompto, I couldn't. Not like that. Not while you were intoxicated. I didn't… I didn't know if you were serious, either. You'd had quite a bit.” Ignis swipes his thumb along a freckled cheek, leaning in to touch their foreheads together. “I didn't want to slip and have everything fall out from beneath me. If you didn't really feel that way and I reciprocated, I could've ruined everything.”

“Iggy,” he breathes out, tightening his grip on his wrist. He shakes his head slowly, bumping his nose into Ignis’ with a shuddering sigh. “Oh god, Iggy.” His other hand raises to wrap his arm around the man’s shoulders, another sigh. He can't catch his breath. This feels unreal. Ignis was saying he likes him too. He could burst into tears.

“I’m so sorry, Prompto. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for days, just to explain myself. I shouldn't have faltered.” 

“No, no,” he says in a hushed tone, shaking his head again. “It's okay, it was my fault. I-- I should've slowed down. I figured you weren't interested in me, but I couldn't help myself.”

“I’m glad you told me, and I’m very sorry about the miscommunication. The last thing I want is for you to be hurt. The last thing I want is to be the one to hurt you.”

Prompto chokes back a cry, shutting his eyes tightly as Ignis presses his lips to his cheekbone, pushing his hand through his damp hair. 

“It's okay,” Ignis whispers by his ear, nosing along the shell of it. “It's okay.” 

“I don't understand,” Prompto says with a quivering lip. “Why me? I can't even confess properly. I’m nothing.”

“That's not true. I think you're everything. You're precious. You're kind. You're funny. You're beautiful,” is added with a brush of his knuckles over his cheek before he takes on a soft expression. “Prompto, I love you very much.”

Prompto looks at him with wide eyes, mouth falling open as he tries to speak, only for it to shut. A sob catches in his throat, making him lean into Ignis further as he cries into his shoulder. His hands grip at Ignis tightly, whose arms wrap around him in turn, pulling him in close. 

“I don't deserve you,” he managed to get out between hiccups. “I can't do anything right.”

“Truthfully, you deserve more than me.” 

“Not true,” Prompto immediately cuts him off, looking at him with watery eyes. “You're the perfect man! You- you deserve the perfect girl, or guy, or  _ whatever _ , but anyone other than me.”

“Prompto,” Ignis shushes him. “I don't want anyone other than you.”

The blonde stares at him, searching his face for any fault in his statement, seeing if something would give anything away. He checks out. Shows nothing that betrays his words. Prompto doesn't know what to do.

So he kisses him.

Prompto’s hands cup at his face, not wanting to be any farther away from him than he was right now. Ignis grabs for his waist, slotting their lips together with a tilt of his head. Prompto breaks the kiss seconds later, his eyes shut and his breath coming out unsteadily.

“I love you too,” he whispers against his lips, pressing kisses to them every so often as another couple of tears fall down his cheeks. Ignis does his best to wipe them away. The action only makes more fall, causing Ignis to make a sad  _ tsk _ of his tongue.

“Oh, darling,” Ignis brushes the tears away with his thumbs, cradling his face in his hands. “Please don't cry.”

“I’m trying,” Prompto sighs heavily, sniffling a few times before he has to let out another sigh. 

“Deep breaths for me.” 

He tries still, and though his inhales catch and shudder at first, he finally calms his breathing down. Ignis is rubbing his shoulders, down his arms, over his back, trying to get him to relax. When it finally settles, Prompto looks up from his lips to his eyes, giving a short nod. “I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? Take all the time you need.”

“No, I’m-- I’m okay,” he insists, leaning back into his seat, and less on Ignis. Reaching for his coffee, Prompto takes a sip with both hands on the mug so as to not shake it accidentally. The exhale he gives when he sets the cup back down is shaky either way.

Ignis folds his hands over his lap, watching Prompto with a close eye. He's sure he's telling the truth, and yet he can't help but worry. “I have to ask you something.”

“Um… okay.”

“Why didn't you want to tell the others?”

“...I don't want to tear us all apart. If I screw up, it's not like you or Gladio can go anywhere but with Noctis. If I screw up, I’m the one that has to leave, and then I'll have… no-one. I can't take that chance.”

“You won't screw up. And you definitely will not tear us apart.”

“You don't know that.”

“I do know that. The four of us are family, Prompto. Nothing is going to change that. You belong with us, and you're not leaving anytime soon.”

Prompto sniffles once, brushing a finger under his nose. “Possessive much?” He asks, his attempt to crack a joke.

“Maybe so.” Ignis replies while he leans in towards him for another kiss. It's quick this time, and Ignis sits back in his seat afterwards to give him some space to cool down. He takes up his coffee, watching Prompto rub his face and shake his head, trying to brush off the emotions. 

“Okay,” is finally said while Prompto nods, sounding a little more confident this time. “I’m good.”

“Good.” Ignis repeats, and he stands from the chair with his coffee in one hand, the other outstretched towards Prompto. “Come with me.” Prompto takes the offered hand and stands with his cup, where Ignis guides him to the couch. It was one of the few things Prompto splurged on in getting his apartment, was the couch. It was the comfiest thing in the place, even more so than his bed. As he’s gently pushed onto the cushions, Ignis shrugs off his jacket to place it around Prompto’s shoulders, who pulls it tighter around himself with his free hand.

Ignis sits beside him, right at his side so when he puts his arm around him, they’re as close as they can manage. Prompto curls up into him and he rests his cheek on his blonde hair, closing his eyes. He just wants to take in the moment. Appreciate it for what it was. At least until a thought comes, and he can’t help but ask, “when did you know?”

“Hm.” Thinking for a long while, Prompto starts to get discouraged. But he continues eventually, looking down to him. “I suppose I’ve always been somewhat fond. I always thought highly of you since Noctis let you into his life. You know how difficult it is for him to do that. And, you are just a ball of sunshine. It’s hard not to get enraptured in that.” Ignis says nothing to let Prompto process it before he turns the question back around on him.

“Um.”  _ Oh jeez. _ “Uh. I always thought you were like. Really attractive and all. But I think it was when, uh. Okay, this is embarrassing, but do you remember when we were celebrating Noct’s seventeenth birthday at the arcade, and you managed to beat me at one of the shooting games?” 

“One of my more proud moments, yes.”

“You looked so pleased with yourself. I guess the look on your face when it happened was what did it for me.”

“That’s flattering. It’s been some time, then.”

“Yeah. I guess so.” 

Silence falls over them. Prompto could fall asleep here, even with the coffee that he was slowly adding to his system. He didn’t get much actual rest since he’s been hidden away, instead slipping into fitful naps that only lasted for an hour at most. He was exhausted, and the comfort of Ignis beside him was more than enough to lull him to sleep.

He stays awake, though. He doesn't want to miss a second of this moment. 

“What can I do for you right now, Prompto?” Ignis asks after some time, rubbing his hand up and down his arm. 

“Just this,” he answers with a slow shake of his head. Then, a pause. “Maybe you can kiss me.”

Ignis huffs out a short laugh, setting his coffee down on the table before them. Then he turns to face him, his finger under Prompto’s chin to tip his head up before he leans in to leave a sweet kiss to his lips. All Prompto can do is melt into his touch, take in the moment for all it's worth. His own hands come up to grasp at the front of his shirt, keeping him in place. Just for a little longer. 

When they finally pull away, Prompto smooths his hands over his chest. Unwrinkling the shirt where he'd grabbed, and maybe just to touch him. He has the fleeting thought of unbuttoning the top two buttons, burying his nose in the skin there, but he refrains. 

“Thanks,” he says softly, leaning back in to bump their noses together. 

“Of course,” Ignis replies. His hand trails from his chin to his cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. “You look nice with your hair down.”

“Oh, please. I look like a wet dog.”

“I suppose “wet dog” fits you then.”

“ _ Thanks. _ ” 

“But of course.” Ignis smiles at him, his hand cupping the side of Prompto’s face. “You are gorgeous though, I do mean that.” 

“Please,” he says again, rolling his blue eyes. Before he can continue, his stomach growls, making him put his hands to his stomach as though to quiet it. 

“Prompto,” Ignis says warily, “have you eaten anything recently?”

“Ummmm…” 

“I'll take that as a no.” Ignis stands, but not without a squeeze to his shoulder, heading into the kitchen to look through his fridge and cabinets. There wasn't much in the way of produce, mostly cup noodles or packaged food that was easy to heat up. Ignis slowly looks over his shoulder to Prompto, who was pointedly avoiding his gaze. “You're serious.”

“Um!”

“Put your shoes on. We're going shopping.”

“N-no, it's okay! I’m okay, honest!” 

“You haven't had a full meal in how long? Come,” he insists, coming back around to Prompto to urge him to stand. “Please. I’d feel much better knowing you're taken care of.” 

Prompto frowns a little but takes the offered hands to stand. He starts to hand off the jacket to him again, but Ignis shakes his head, putting it back around the blonde.

“You wear it. It's a bit chilly out.” 

“I can get my own jacket.”

“I like you in mine.”

“Oh.”

Ignis puts his hand on Prompto’s waist, guiding him to the front door and towards the pile of shoes. He shoves his feet into his worn boots, messily lacing them up while Ignis opens the door.

“I brought your car back from Hammerhead. I’ll drive, however.” 

“Alright. Be careful with her, got it? That's my baby.”

“Have you ever known me to be careless?” He asks instead, guiding him outside of the apartment and locking up behind them. “Get in the car. You can have the aux.”

“Aw, yes!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here u go anon thanks for commenting so much <3


	5. Chapter 5

Prompto looks around the store as Ignis pushes a cart, trying to see what was around. He's never been in this store, it was entirely too fancy for somebody like him. Everything was expensive and he has no idea how Ignis expects him to pay for all of this. 

There were all sorts of spices and oils and vegetables in the cart with some other odds and ends, and Ignis was examining two trays of chicken to choose between them, and Prompto just stares. The man turns to him and raises a brow in question. “Prompto?”

“Ignis, I really appreciate you cooking for me, but I can’t… afford this? This stuff, it’s like,” he shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. “This container of eggs alone has to be like, ten dollars.” 

He sets the trays down, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves as he closes his eyes for a few seconds to think. “I understand how difficult that was to admit. But you aren’t paying for this.”

“Y-you can’t buy all this for me, dude.”

“Are you going to stop me?” He questions, putting his hands behind his back as he looks to Prompto. “If you are, I’d suggest you do it now.” 

Prompto sighs, putting a hand on his forehead as the other goes to his hip. “That’s way too much money, Ignis.”

“Prom, I have the backing of the royal family here. I can afford this. I’d like to cook for you. Are you going to stop me?”

Going quiet, Prompto scuffs a boot against the floor. “No, I guess not,” he says after a few minutes. “Thank you,” he adds, biting on his lip. 

Ignis faces him, trailing a finger under Prompto’s chin to tip his head up. “Thank  _ you. _ ” He kisses his forehead, making him blush a bright pink. 

“Why are you thanking me? I’m not doing anything.”

“There is a great pleasure in taking care of people.” He simply says, going back to the wall of poultry, and pulling one to place it in the cart. “I suppose you're indulging me.” 

He hadn’t thought about it like that. He should’ve known, really. He does so much for them, and never once complains, it would only make sense that he actively enjoyed it. Meanwhile, Prompto complains all the time, but Ignis is typically quick to fix whatever may be wrong. He really does pamper him.

“Shall we?” Ignis asks, gesturing towards the direction of the check out. Prompto just nods, following him there and looking around again. 

The people here looked rich. He feels out of place, especially when the cashier eyes him over with a bit of a grimace. Prompto turns his head down, and once Ignis places the items on the belt, he adjusts his gloves.

“Is there a problem, sir?” He asks shortly, causing the cashier to look startled. “I’d appreciate it if you didn't glare at him.”

“I--”

“Not a word.” A lean towards him, a narrowing of his eyes. “Check us out and we'll be on our way.”

It’s Prompto’s turn to look startled, looking between Ignis and the cashier who was now avoiding him. It was common for Ignis and the other two to back him up, but to call somebody out so quickly for a glance like that was… well. It made him feel kind of good. Cared for. 

The cashier doesn't say anything, hardly even looks at them while Ignis pays and grabs for the bags. Prompto hurries to take more, not wanting to make Ignis do all the work, and they walk out of the store together.

“My apologies,” Ignis says once they're by the car. “I don't normally have trouble there. I hadn't thought there might be some less than pleasant individuals.”

“N-no, it's okay. I feel kind of bad though.”

“What for?”

“I dunno,” Prompto mumbles, opening up the trunk and placing the bags down. “Just felt like I embarrassed you in a store you go to a lot.”

“Embarrassed me? Not at all.” 

“I just mean-- maybe they think you're hanging with a total loser,” he laughs nervously, closing the trunk once everything was inside and keeping his head turned from Ignis.

“I’m not “hanging with a total loser”.”

“Oh.”

“Let me finish.” Ignis chides lightly, slipping an arm around his waist. “You aren't a loser. You're quite wonderful, actually. Better than I could ask for.”

“Not really.” Despite this, he leans into him, closing his eyes. “I’m not good enough for you.”

“Prompto,” he catches his attention gently, making him look up. “I sympathize with your feelings, but they couldn't be further from the truth. You have low self worth. But I think you're wonderful.”

“I think you're crazy,” Prompto laughs, trying to change the mood. He doesn't do well with honest heart-to-hearts, and definitely not when they're involving him.

“I believe I’m quite sane, thank you.” Ignis smiles to him. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah.” He answers with a nod, and they get into the car. 

The drive home is quiet aside from the music, but Prompto takes a chance to put his hand out onto the middle of the front seats. Ignis doesn't even look, but he takes it regardless, rubbing his thumb over Prompto’s knuckles. 

That's more than enough for him.

They arrive at Prompto’s apartment, and again Prompto takes the majority of the bags. He doesn't want Ignis to move a muscle, but he knows he's planning on cooking for him, something he's very grateful for, so he just does what he can to make things easier for him.

“What are you gonna make?” He asks, placing the bags on the counter and Ignis starts to take off his gloves.

“Curry. I trust that's alright with you?”

“Iggy, anything you make is alright with me, you're the best.”

“You're just stroking my ego now. Go rest. Relax.” 

“But I want to help.” 

“Prompto, you haven't eaten a proper meal in at least three days. I don't want you using any knives right now. Your hands are shaking enough as it is,” he says, making Prompto look down at his hands and sure enough, they were. “Just sit down. I'm right here.”

The blonde pouts, but does as he's told, sitting at the table where he could watch Ignis. He’s quiet for a while again, putting his chin in his hand and looking down to the table briefly. “I’m sorry I ran.”

“It's alright. I’m sorry I didn't explain myself. I couldn't have at the time; I don't think you were cognizant enough to follow an explanation in the first place, but I should've said something.” Ignis stops washing the vegetables he had in the sink to look over to him. “Have you answered Noctis or Gladio yet?”

“Oh. Shit, no I haven't.”

“I suggest you do that.”

Prompto stands to go to his room, pulling out his phone from the nightstand. He couldn't bear to look at it the past few days even after he turned it off. Turning it on, he sees at least thirty messages, with just as many missed calls and about ten voicemails. He feels so guilty about it. 

Opening up the messages, he sees the frantic texts from all three of them, even a few from Cindy. Then he listens to the voicemails. Noctis sounds so frightened in them, and Prompto covers his eyes with a hand.

“Oh god.”

_ Noctis? _

The message that comes is almost immediate. 

**Oh thank god.**

**Are you okay? What happened?**

**We've been so worried.**

_ I’m okay! Sorry!  _

_ I didn't mean to freak everyone out. _

_ Are you with Gladio right now? _

**Yeah, I am.**

**Been kind of a mess since you left.**

_ Fuck man, I'm real sorry. _

**I’m just glad you're okay.**

**Specs with you?**

_ Yeah! He's cooking right now but he's here. _

**He came by asking for the spare key this morning.**

**Don't think I forgot about the question already.**

_ Uhhh, what question! _

**What happened?**

Oh he did not want to have this conversation. 

_ I'll tell you about it later. _

_ I'm not ready to talk about it yet. But I’m okay, promise! _

They go back and forth for a bit, but Prompto turns down the offer to call. He can't handle it right now, knowing Noctis would just try to grill him for answers on what happened. It's not that he's ashamed of the outcome of this! But he has no idea what they'll say, and he really should discuss it with Ignis first.

Speaking of. 

_ I think he's almost done cooking. _

_ I’ll catch you later! _

_ And Noct? _

_ Thanks. _

He puts the phone down on his bed, not wanting it to become a distraction while he was with Ignis. Coming out to see him at the stove, Prompto watches him for a bit before he comes up behind him, wrapping his arms around Ignis’ waist and pressing his nose to his shoulder. 

“How'd it go?” He asks, looking over his shoulder to Prompto briefly before he turns back to cooking. Prompto just nods, his eyes shut tight until he lets out a sigh. “Is something the matter?”

“I just feel bad. I really messed up the other night. Noct is really upset with me, I can tell.”

“He'll be alright. We're more relieved that you're okay. Honestly, I feel more bad for you.”

“Huh?”

“Spending the rest of your 21st crying after throwing up from drinking sounds a little sad.”

Prompto snorts a laugh. “I guess it was sad.” 

“What's more sad is I didn't come after you.” Ignis continues after a beat of silence. “I should’ve. Seeing the look on your face when you left… well. I deserved the pain I felt from it.”

“Ig,” he says quietly. He hadn't expected him to be hurt. He's not sure why he didn't think that. Prompto moves his hands to Ignis’ arms, urging him to turn around to face him. It takes little effort, as Ignis quickly sets down the wooden spoon he was using to look down at him, his hands automatically going for his waist. Prompto’s eyes dart between Ignis’ and his lips before he leans in to kiss him.

Prompto slides his hands up to wrap his arms around Ignis’ shoulders, while the other man squeezes his waist firmly. His lips are soft and it makes Prompto dizzy. The kiss is equally as firm as Ignis’ hold on him, pulling a soft sound from Prompto’s throat. It makes Ignis’ grip on him tighter, pressing into the kiss more as Prompto pushes a hand into his hair. 

It feels  _ good. _

He stands up on his toes, adding pressure to the kiss because as amazing as it was, he wants to show that he's enjoying himself. Really enjoying himself. Ignis pulls away however, making Prompto huff in annoyance, but it's quickly turned into a gasp when he ducks his head down to kiss at Prompto’s neck.

Grazing his teeth over flushed, freckled skin, Ignis exhales against his neck and it pulls a shiver from Prompto in the most delightful way. He moves his hands to push them underneath Prompto's shirt, the fabric bunching up at his wrists. It was the first time Prompto has felt his bare hands on him. It's intimate. It's wonderful.

Prompto melts into his touch until Ignis has to pull him into his chest to keep him from sinking down into his knees so he can keep kissing up and down the column of the blonde’s neck.

“Oh my god,” he breathes out involuntarily. Ignis chuckles against his skin, dragging his tongue up his neck to his ear to nose along the lobe and up to the shell. With a playful nibble to his ear, Ignis stands right as a timer goes off. “Huh?” Prompto blinks at him quickly, but he simply turns back around to the stove once he knew his knees wouldn't give out. 

“Enjoy yourself?”

“Um,  _ yeah. _ ”

“Unfortunate that I have to finish this.”

Prompto wants to tell him that it can wait, but he's reminded of the shake in his hands when he reaches out to grab for him again. He should eat.  _ Damn. _

So he settles for hugging him from behind again. 

He stays there for a while until Ignis has to move, his face buried in the back of his neck. He smells so good. 

“Are you smelling me?” Ignis asks when a Prompto gives an especially loud sniff, making him stop suddenly. 

“Maybe?”

“Hm,” he hums, pleased with himself. “Go sit down. It'll be ready in a few minutes.”

“I want to stay here.”

“I’ll be right there with you, love. Go on.”

The name makes him flush, but he manages to make it to the table without incident, sitting down and watching Ignis as he finishes cooking and starts to set up a plate for him. Ignis brings the plate over, setting it in front of Prompto and pulling a chair next to him so he could sit closer. 

“Eat.”

“You're not having any?” 

“I'd rather you did.”

Prompto looks at the plate. It smells delicious and it takes very little encouragement for him to start to eat. It was as good as it smelled. “How are you so good at this?”

“Years of practice. I'm glad you're enjoying it.”

Part of him wants to rush through eating. He wants Ignis’ perfect mouth on him again, but he's heard plenty of times from Ignis that he needs to slow down. The last thing he wants is to embarrass himself again. 

_ Patience is a virtue _ or whatever Ignis would say.

By the time he finishes, Ignis has been scrolling through his phone and sending the occasional message. He wants to ask what it's about, is he telling anybody, is it work stuff? He doesn't know. He just starts to stand to take his plate to the sink, planning on washing it. Before he can turn on the water, Ignis is behind him and sliding his hands over his sides.

“How are you feeling?” He asks, close to his ear to nuzzle at his cheek.

“Better.” Prompto answers, reaching out for the faucet but Ignis takes his hands to wrap both of their arms around his middle, holding him close. His back is pressed up to the other man’s chest, which was solid and warm and Prompto wants to lean into it as much as he could, it was so comfortable. 

“You should get some rest.”

“I want to stay with you.” He says quietly, turning his head to look up at him.

“I never said I was leaving.” Ignis reassures, kissing his temple. “Couch or bed?”

“My bed isn't very comfortable…”

“It's bigger?”

“Well, I guess so.”

Ignis pulls away but keeps a hand on Prompto’s hip to guide him to the bedroom. Prompto is a little anxious about it; his bed was a mess, his pillows were tear stained. Would Ignis judge him? He reminds himself it was unlikely, but the anxiety is still there in the back of his mind. 

“Wait here a sec?” He asks when they reach the door, slipping inside to try and fix it before Ignis could see. 

“I already saw. It's okay, Prompto. It doesn’t bother me.” Ignis waits for Prompto to accept this to come into the room, helping him fix the bed. “If you’d like I can help clean up. If you’re worried about it bothering me.”

“You say that like you’re gonna come here a lot more.” Prompto jokes, but he doesn’t look up to him when he says it. He doesn’t want to be too hopeful.

“Or you could come to my apartment more instead. Either works.” Ignis circles around the bed, standing next to Prompto to slip off the jacket he lent him and setting it down on his dresser. He turns back to him to urge him under the covers, scooting him towards the middle so he could get in after him. 

Prompto turns to face him, and Ignis wraps his arms around him to hold him tightly. He presses his face into Ignis’ neck, head tucked under his chin as his eyes close. He loves being in this spot already. Held up to his chest, wrapped up in his arms with a heavy blanket over them, and just loved. He doesn't realize how exhausted he is until they’re settled in and his eyes can hardly stay open. 

“Just rest,” he hears, and it's so easy to drift off to that voice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm just havin fun now  
> probably expect nsfw stuff soon 🤪


	6. Chapter 6

Prompto wakes up to warmth. It's so comforting that he tries to press further into it, momentarily forgetting himself and where he was until he opens an eye. All he sees is fair skin in front of him, and he feels the rise and fall of Ignis' chest against his own. Was he asleep? He wasn't sure. 

His hands move to fuss with the top button of Ignis' shirt. He undoes it, then moves down to the second before he hears Ignis chuckle. 

“Nice to see you're awake.”

“Oops.” Prompto says softly, but still pops open the second button. “You caught me.”

“Are you especially affectionate when you wake up? I’m not sure how I’ve not seen this.”

“I could  _ not _ do this while we're camping. I'd die. On the spot. Being far away from home with only one car between the four of us is kind of inconvenient if I have to run away.”

“You wouldn't have had to run away.” Ignis rubs a hand down his back, then reaches over to the nightstand to put on his glasses. “On that note. I take it we'll be sharing tents from now on.” 

“I mean… if you want.” Prompto says in just a way that shows that he would certainly not mind, but still feels too nervous to outright say. The man told him he loved him. That should be enough. It frustrates him that he can't convince himself of it yet.

“I have to say, I’d be a little jealous if you chose to spend the night with anyone else, but I wouldn't deny you of it if you wanted someone else's company.”

“Really?” He asks, just a little breathless. That was reassuring enough. “Me too. I didn't take you as the jealous type.”

“I can be possessive, I admit. I’m typically good at keeping it under control, however.”

“I kind of like that,” Prompto murmurs, tracing a finger in circles over his chest. 

“Hm,” Ignis hums in a laugh, “I figure it's a little unbecoming, but I suppose I can make an exception for you.”

Prompto pulls his head back to look at him, and the look on Ignis' face was so fond that all he can think of doing is kissing him. And he does. He kisses him like it's the last thing he'll ever do. Ignis just holds his face in his hands so tenderly that Prompto could cry.

“What's wrong, love?” He asks softly when Prompto gives a little sniffle, swiping his thumbs along his cheekbones.

“Nothing… I’m just. Really happy, I guess. I never thought I’d be here.”

“Surely you've had other people in mind. Don't tell me I’ve forced you to be lonely all these years.”

“No, not like that. I've… I mean. I’ve been with other people, but I just couldn't do it. Something always went wrong. It was usually my fault.” He sounds uncomfortable saying it. “Couldn't commit properly or whatever… didn't open up when I needed to. I’m kind of a mess. I really don't want to screw this up.”

“Communication is key. We’ll talk. I won't push things, I know you'll open when you're ready. Prompto,” Ignis brings his attention back around with a tilt of his head, “do you not believe me when I say I love you?”

“I  _ do _ , I just-- it's hard to. It feels unreal that I’m here right now. With you. I didn't think I could do it. I guess I didn't… not the way I wanted to.”

“How did you want to?”

“Um. Ideally?” He stops to think about it. “Not something I ever could've done, but I guess I would've taken you out on a morning photo sesh. You know, like Noct and I do? I’d probably take mostly pictures of you, but I imagine a beautiful sunrise and I’d… Man, I dunno.” He was blushing, he's pretty sure. “I’d try to tell you, but I probably wouldn't be able to.”

“I think you could've gone for it. You're braver than you think. But if you couldn’t have, I would've said it for you.” 

“I would've died.” 

“I’d just revive you. Simple as that.”

“Yeah? Well, what would you’ve done?”

“I had to try very hard not to. I was worried about things turning awkward between you and Noct if he found out we were together. But I desperately wanted to.” Ignis brushes his fingers over his cheek again. “I’d invite you over to my home for dinner. Your favorite, of course.”

“My rice?”

“Mhm. Maybe a dip in the hot tub, I know you like that.”

“Oh man, you're so right about the hot tub.”

“You’d pick out a movie to watch. I'm afraid you probably wouldn't like my selections. I’d much rather see you watching something you enjoy. I would take you home afterwards, walk you up to your door. I might even kiss you first.”

“That sounds so nice.” 

“That’s the idea. You deserve nice.” 

“You do it well.” 

“It’s the least I could do for you. You brighten my day every time I see you.”

“You’re seriously going to make me cry.” 

“You can cry around me as much as you need to.” 

Prompto bites on his lip, eyes on the sheets below them before he looks back to Ignis. “I love you.” 

It feels so natural to say.  _ Love ya, dude!  _ He’d always go on to the three, but this was entirely different with Ignis. He loves him in a different way than the other two. He loves Noctis and Gladiolus as much as anyone could, but there was something so much deeper about his love for Ignis. Maybe it was rushing. But they’d apparently harbored feelings for long enough that he thinks he’s justified in saying it already.

“It’s late, you know.” Ignis says, bringing him out of his thoughts. “I hadn’t expected you to wake up.” 

“Yeah… I guess it is late.” Prompto bites his lip. “Will you, um. Can you stay for the night?”

“You don’t even have to ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> something short for funsies  
> there will probably be a time skip here bc i'm impatient and i want to make them MAKE OUT


	7. Chapter 7

It's been two weeks since Ignis came after him.

They were two very blissful weeks, Prompto will easily say that. Ignis wasn't outright affectionate, something that Prompto figured out long ago, but they stand a little closer now, their knees touch when they sit beside each other. That's just around others, however. 

Alone, he was amazing. 

Prompto admits that he can be a bit much sometimes. It's part of the reason why none of his past relationships have gone well-- that, and he never really told his friends about them in the first place. The secrecy probably did nothing to help the relationships, but he didn't know how to go about it. Maybe that's why this did well for him at the moment. Still being quiet while they find their footing. 

Yet, they haven't discussed terms. 

It was definitely something to talk about, sooner rather than later preferably. Prompto just has to figure things out first. 

He loves Ignis. He loves him with all his heart and that's kind of scary for him. He's been attracted for so long that the idea of actually having him was surreal. He can't even imagine what Ignis feels about the situation. He doesn't know what goes on in that head of his, but he's pretty sure he's just as loved. 

Ignis doesn't wear his gloves in private anymore. That was a huge step in Prompto’s opinion. He loves those shiny silver gloves, and while Prompto is a fan as well, there's nothing more sweet to him than the feeling of Ignis’ bare hands sliding over his body. 

Not that that happens often.

The last time it happened was in Prompto’s bedroom. He'd been in the middle of changing his shirt when Ignis had come up behind him to press against his back, his hands sliding up and down his bare front. It was fine. He didn't care that Ignis saw him shirtless; the four of them have changed around each other more times than he can count. But Ignis has never touched before. Not anything other than a careful slide of his hand over his side. That was still fine, but in such a way that Prompto’s knees nearly gave out. 

He wants to feel him again.

But first… terms.

“Iggy?” He says before yawning. They were in Ignis’ bed, cuddled up against each other in the center of the soft mattress. The sheets had to be made of silk or something, they were so smooth. 

“Yes, dear?” Ignis mumbles out, his eyes closed and his hair rustled up from Prompto’s hands sliding through the locks earlier. The pet name makes Prompto smile sleepily, leaning his head in to kiss his lips softly.

“Are we… I mean. Are we dating?” He asks once the kiss breaks, and Ignis opens his eyes to look at him in slight surprise. 

“Well. Yes.”

“So… are you my boyfriend?”

“I’d like to think so.”

“And… I’m your boyfriend?”

“I really hope you are. Otherwise I’d feel a little silly about the past couple of weeks.” 

“I am! I-I am,” he reassures, looking down at Ignis' chest. The buttons were undone a quarter of the way down, showing smooth skin that Prompto wants to claim. “We just. We never said.” 

“Hm. I suppose you're right. Prompto?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you be my boyfriend?”

“I-- absolutely. I’d love to.” 

Ignis smiles at him as he moves to kiss him, a hand cradling the back of his head. The support of his hands were always so nice. They held him together when everything else seemed to be falling apart. 

As much as he hates how it happened, he's very happy with this outcome. 

Prompto hooks a hand around Ignis’ neck, his thumb by his jaw and he lets out a pleased little noise into the kiss. The other hand moves to push along his front, where Ignis’ squeezes his hip after ducking his fingertips underneath his shirt. The kiss was so  _ nice _ . He wants even more of it. 

So he parts his lips. Just a little; he wants to give Ignis the option to say no. They may have figured out terms, but that doesn't mean he can just do anything he pleases. He doesn't have to worry for long, as Ignis mirrors the movement with a soft sigh. This is where he falters. 

Ignis is quick to pick up the slack. 

His teeth graze over Prompto's lower lip, tugging the soft skin into his mouth which makes the blonde shiver. His breath comes out a little shaky when he exhales against Ignis’ lips, though this just spurs him on into grasping tighter at Prompto. 

The sound that comes out of him surprises both of them. Almost a whimper of sorts from how firm his hold on his hip was, how close he was being held to Ignis’ body. It seems to clear something in Ignis’ head because he starts to pull away before Prompto brings him back in.

“Am I hurting you?”

“N-no--”

“Am I going too fast?”

“No!” He answers this question a little too quickly, stammering as he tries to find his words again. “I-I’ve waited so long to be with you. I don't want to miss out on a second now.”

Ignis just nods once to himself as he cups Prompto’s face in his hand, pulling him back in for another kiss. This was good. Kissing him was good. Amazing! Everything about him was, though, so that should come as no surprise. 

Prompto can't decide where to put his hands. They roam over his front, along his arms and up his shoulders, into his hair. They go anywhere Ignis will allow him to go, and he's yet to stop him. So he tries something. He puts some force behind the push of his hands on Ignis’ shoulders, making him lie flat on his back. Ignis simply raises his brows as Prompto shifts to straddle his hips, looking down at him with a slowly reddening face. 

“You look good,” Ignis says to him while his hands rest on Prompto’s waist. “Up there. So pretty.”

“Oh, come on,” he looks to the side, but a squeeze of his hands brings him back around. 

“You're beautiful, Prompto.” He whispers it, something for his ears only. “And mine.”

The possessiveness of the statement makes him bite his lip, peeking down to his chest before he moves to begin unbuttoning his shirt. He tries to convince himself to take it slow, but if he goes any slower with how his hands were starting to shake, he'd never get anywhere. Unpopping buttons, Prompto lets out a sigh once Ignis’ chest is revealed, bending over him to kiss at the crook of his neck.

“Mm,” he closes his eyes after the blonde trails his lips on his skin, tipping his head back to allow him more space. “You've got such a pretty mouth.” 

“You're embarrassing me,” Prompto mutters against his skin, but he can't prevent himself from smiling at the words anyway.

“Maybe I like embarrassing you.” It's said simply, making Prompto huff. “You look so precious when you are.” 

“Yeah, yeah…”

“I could eat you up,” Ignis says in a low voice, obviously teasing Prompto, who hates that it worked to make him redder. “But I don't think you're ready for that.”

“Says who?”

“Me.”

“What, you think I can't handle it?”

“I don't think you know what's in store for you if you let me.” 

Prompto shudders as he sits up, pouting down to Ignis who looks just a little smug. He wants to kiss that look right off his face. He has something else in mind.

“Igs,” Prompto breathes out, bent over him so he can tease the idea of a kiss to him before he slowly rocks his hips forward. The friction was very slight, but still enough for Prompto to need to bite his lip to prevent from making a sound. Ignis shifts his hands to put them under Prompto's shirt, bare hands on his skin now that makes him furrow his brows. 

“Are you trying to entice me?” Prompto doesn't answer, instead sitting upright to return to his original spot, only to roll his hips again. “Because it's working.”

They'd never gone past touching bared torsos. This was new territory for them, making Prompto’s breath come out just a little heavier, but Ignis seems as cool and composed as always. It frustrates him.

“I don't believe you,” is what he tries, and a corner of Ignis’ mouth quirks up. His hands tighten on his hips, fingers dipping below the waistband of his pants, and he drags Prompto’s hips over his own, pulling a shaky sound from the blonde. 

“No?” His voice is low, watching him carefully. Prompto feels scrutinized by it, avoiding his gaze until he continues to speak. “How can I prove it?”

“Why don't you try?” He asks instead of answering. Ignis narrows his eyes at him, seeming to accept the challenge offered. 

Before Prompto can do anything, Ignis moves him by the hips, making him grind down into him. Prompto gasps, his mouth falling open with a shudder. The face he makes causes Ignis to grin wickedly, something he barely catches with how his eyes had fluttered. 

“That easy? You started it.”

“Shhh.” Prompto hisses through his teeth, trying to not completely lose his cool already. 

Ignis pushes a hand under Prompto’s shirt to run it up his spine, forcing him to lean over him again in order to kiss him. Once their lips meet, Ignis tips his hips upward and uses the grip of his other hand to keep him still. They grind against each other for a moment, where Prompto tries to stay quiet until both hands are back on his waist to pull him down further onto his lap. 

His hands roam over Ignis’ chest, muscles firm with just enough give to make him comfortable. He digs his nails into the skin there, dragging them down to his stomach and it pulls a low growl from his throat in return. Hearing it makes Prompto give a groan into his mouth, something that makes him turn red, but it was so good hearing him make those sounds. Sounds that Prompto caused. That show he's enjoying himself, what more could he ask for?

The longer he rolls his hips down to meet the pressure of Ignis', the more he realizes that he's really enjoying himself. Maybe a bit too much. He can feel that he's half hard in his jeans, something he prays Ignis doesn't notice.  _ Yeah right. _ It takes him no time at all to find out, and all he does about it is move his head to kiss and suck at his neck. It makes Prompto gasp and whine by his ear every time his teeth would graze or bite, eyes shutting tight every time he'd bite too hard. The harder it was, the more breathless he became. 

All the while they'd slipped into a rhythm to roll their hips to, one that lets them drag over each other as rough as they wanted. Prompto wants nothing more than to ditch the pants, both of them, strip down completely so his hands can roam and wander and grab and squeeze anywhere he wants. He wants to see Ignis in all his glory and just  _ worship _ him. He feels that isn't too much to ask for. 

Ignis is the one that makes the first move. His hands shove up the fabric of his shirt until Prompto gets the hint to raise his arms up, assisting in the removal of it and feeling the cool air in the room touch his hot skin. He hardly had a chance to react to that before Ignis is flipping them over expertly, knees on either side of his waist now. He's still upright to shrug off the shirt Prompto had unbuttoned earlier, leaving both of their chests bared. All he can do is run his hands up Ignis’ body, his breath coming out quicker than before until he tries to sit up, only to be pushed back down by strong hands. 

“H-hey, not fair,” Prompto pouts, and Ignis just grins.

“You're more than welcome to do it back.”

Prompto squints up to him, bucking his hips up to try and jostle Ignis from his spot. It works, though not as effectively as he wanted, but he makes up for it with a push on his shoulders, knocking him off of his lap to sit on Ignis’ again instead. It makes the other man look vaguely surprised while Prompto looks proud of himself. 

“Well done.”

“Thanks,” he says with a roll of his hips. It makes him shiver feeling how hard Ignis had gotten in the confines of his slacks, giving him an idea of where to grind down onto. It's so good that he whimpers under his breath, the friction much more obvious than when he'd first done it. 

They move against each other with soft pants and groans. Prompto tries so hard to be quiet to no avail; he's done this before but never with Ignis, never with somebody he had genuine feelings for. He wonders if it's like that for Ignis. He was so damn hot that it was unlikely nobody hasn't hit that before. He's making himself a little jealous. He leans forward to press his lips to Ignis’ shoulder, then bites down hard. It makes Ignis groan, a noise that goes to Prompto’s head almost instantly. 

“Prompto,” he says in a heavy exhale, making Prompto tug at the skin between his teeth. They both sport marks now, and though Prompto has more it's not something he'd complain about. To be claimed by Ignis was a treat, one he'd cherish always. He wants more. But he'll be good. This time. “ _ Prompto _ ,” he repeats, pulling him down onto his hips for even more pressure.

“Fuck,” Prompto manages to grit out, and he wants so much more,  _ so _ much more, that he's reaching down to try to work open Ignis’ belt when his cellphone rings. “Oh hell no.”

“Keep going,” Ignis tells him, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone and answering it. Prompto is hesitant to continue, but he's so hard it hurts. He rocks into his hips, while Ignis keeps a hand on his hip to encourage him. “Hello?” Prompto places a hand over his mouth to keep quiet. Ignis has a normal conversation with whoever was on the other line, though at times his breath would just barely hitch. “Been out on a run. Just catching my breath.”

Prompto grinds down into him, trying to pull any reaction from him but he's stoic as ever on the phone, and it seems to turn sour for Prompto quickly. His breath shakes and shudders behind his hand, eyes shut tight and he doesn't realize how close he is until it hits him. It's sudden, jarring when a noise slips out past his lips and he drops forward onto Ignis' front, who pauses with an open mouth.

“Got to go,” he says quickly into the phone before hanging up, dropping it on the mattress and putting his hand under Prompto’s chin. “Did you just…?”

“ _ No _ ,” he cuts him off, but there's no denying it. He definitely did.

“I have to say, that's flattering.” 

“Ohmygod, shut up.”

“I didn't even have to touch you.”

“ _ Stop _ ,” Prompto groans, hiding his face in Ignis’ shoulder. 

“Makes me wonder how you'll be when I do touch you.” It's said into his ear, but he drops his head back to gently guide Prompto off of him. “That was Noct. There's going to be a dinner tonight. I’m required to go, as I'm sure you've gathered, but I have a plus one.”

“You want me to come with you?”

“That was the idea. If you'd like to go, anyway.”

“...yeah. Yeah, I’d like to go.” He goes quiet for a bit, but looks over to Ignis as he starts to stand from the bed. “What about you?”

“What about me?” 

“You… you know. You didn't--”

“In due time. I'm patient. Provided you let me be patient.” Ignis goes to his dresser, pulling out a different shirt before he goes to his closet. “You should change. I’ll take you home to get more suitable clothes afterwards, and then we'll meet Noct and Gladio there.”

Prompto stands from the bed, feeling unpleasantly sticky as he grabs his shirt to tug on. Before he has the chance to, he catches sight of the bite marks on his neck and shoulders, touching them carefully. They sting, but in the most delightful way.

“Are you listening?” Ignis asks, standing behind him to squeeze his sides. “I know you have extra clothes here. You’ll only have to wear them for a few minutes, then you can shower. I’ll wash your clothes.” He kisses his cheek, making Prompto blush, before he steps away.


	8. Chapter 8

Sitting at the long table, Prompto looks down at his plate. He doesn't even know what's on it other than it looks really fancy. It's probably delicious, too, but he finds himself not being hungry at the moment.

It was a dinner between royals, people that held high positions of power in a meeting together somewhere that there will be relaxing for all involved. 

Except Prompto.

He sits closer towards the end of the table, with Ignis to his right and a stranger to his left, Gladio in front of him, with Noctis in front of Ignis. The stranger, at least, pays him no mind, nor does any of the other diners aside from his friends. 

“Nice of you to come, Prom,” Noctis says, though he sounds curious. Suspicious, he thinks, but he tries to convince himself he was making that up. “I didn't know you’d be interested so I never asked.”

“I figure it best not to exclude one of us if possible. I’d say it's good practice for Crownguard gatherings, though this is a larger group than I had expected. My apologies for that.”

“Huh? It’s okay,” he shakes off what he says, quietly as he could. Everyone around him was talking and he couldn't follow a thing they were saying. It was overwhelming in a way, with so many thoughts going through his head and all the chattering around him.

“Something up?” Gladiolus questions, leaning in a bit. “You don't look so hot.”

“Thanks,” he scoffs, trying not to run a hand through his slicked back hair anxiously. “Nothing’s up. I’m fine! Seriously.”

“At least pretend you're eating. People won't talk to you if your mouth is full,” Noctis taps his foot against Prompto’s, “that's what I do.”

“Right, right.”

With more talking around them, Prompto picks up his fork and pokes around at the meat on the plate. He takes bits and pieces of a salad and the rice before him, but doesn't bother with the big stuff. 

Then, a thought.

He switches hands, holding the fork in his left to continue picking at his plate. His right comes back in his lap, staying there for a moment before he reaches his hand out, brushing his knuckles over Ignis’ outer thigh.

Prompto doesn't have to look to know that Ignis is now eyeing him from his periferal, he can feel him watching. But he does nothing about it, only looking for a second or two before he turns to speak to Gladio and Noctis, and Prompto has to decide whether that's the go ahead to continue, or if it was a warning.

He'll take his chances. 

Flattening out his hand, he slides it over Ignis’ thigh, not quite on top yet, but working towards it. Prompto feels oddly calm about it, though his heart was pounding in his chest either way. He should be worried about getting caught. He doesn't even think about it. His fingers inch over his thigh, starting to dip down to his inner thigh instead. He wants to look at Ignis so badly when he squeezes his leg, hearing a slow exhale beside him.

Prompto doesn't move his hand any further but rubs his thigh up and down. He keeps his touch feather light in between squeezes, trying to… he doesn't know. Rile him up? He's not sure if it's working.

It’s when he inches his fingers further over while Ignis has a napkin covering his mouth that he makes his move, before Ignis stands abruptly, clearing his throat.

“Apologies. I’ll be right back.” 

It draws the attention of half the table their way, and Prompto looks up at him with wide eyes. Ignis only briefly looks back at him, giving a subtle gesture of his head towards the restrooms before he walks off.

“What was that about?” Noctis asks, looking between the empty seat and Prompto. 

“I-I dunno!”  _ Smooth. _ “I’m gonna go check on him.” Prompto starts to stand up, giving an awkward nod to everyone that looks at him for it, and tries not to run after Ignis.

When he reaches the restroom and steps inside, Ignis is there waiting for him, pulling him inside and shutting the door quickly. With it shut, Prompto is pushed against it, his hands pinned to the door by Ignis’ hold on his wrists, who slips a leg between Prompto’s. He's just the perfect height to prop his thigh between his legs without effort, keeping him upright with it. 

“In public? At an official dinner?” Ignis whispers by his face, and Prompto has his mouth open in a stammer, trying to think of something to say. When nothing comes, he shuts his mouth with a swallow. “You're lucky I walked away when I did because I would ruin you on that table in a second.”

“W-wh--”

Ignis doesn't let him finish as he cuts him off with a rough kiss. His thigh grinds up into him, and with every noise that Prompto makes, he catches it in his mouth. For the best. They were in a public restroom, after all. Blocking off the entire thing, actually, which hopefully they wouldn't be here long enough for it to be an issue.

Prompto had started this for a reason, but he couldn't remember why. He hadn't expected Ignis to react so strongly about it. “S--”

“Shh,” Ignis hushes him before he can speak, but it's gentle, the opposite of his movements right now. He doesn't seem mad. Is he just playing with him? “I have something in mind for you now, since you're so persistent. I won't explain, but you can stop me at any time. Understand?”

“Y--”

“No speaking. Just nod.” 

All he can do is nod.

“Good.” He pulls away and Prompto tries to move back into him before Ignis holds him at arm's length. “Not yet. Go to the car. I’ll meet you out there in a moment. Take the keys,” he places them in Prompto’s hand, closing his fingers around them. “Get in. Keep to yourself in the car.”

Prompto nods slowly, and follows Ignis out of the restroom. He takes a detour, of course. He doesn't want everyone else to see him leaving, but Ignis was sure to give a good excuse as to why they were going early. Outside of the restaurant, he goes to Ignis’ sleek car, unlocking the door to get into the passenger's seat. 

He's dying to know what's going on in there. But he knows that even when he comes back he won't say anything on it. He'll have to try asking after… whatever it is that Ignis has planned for him. 

The man eventually comes back out, taking his time. He's casual as he approaches, looking as though nothing was going on, like he hadn't just turned him on with a few words and a well placed knee within seconds. Slipping into the driver’s seat, he takes the keys from Prompto’s hand and starts the car.

He wants to say something. The silence was killing him, the being unable to say anything without an immediate  _ hush _ is maddening. It's a very long drive to Ignis’ place. 

Once they arrive, Ignis barely looks back at him when they exit the car and make it to the building, and it's only when the elevator doors close that Ignis turns to him, who was practically vibrating on the spot. 

“You act like something's the matter.” He takes his chin to tilt his head up, brushing their lips together. “Not to worry. This is as much for you as it is for me.” A press of his lips to Prompto’s, and he continues. “You may speak now.”

“Iggy, are you sure I’m not in trouble? I feel like I’m in trouble.” It's said with a nervous titter, raising his hands to try and hold Ignis before he shakes his head at him.

“Not yet. You're not in trouble, but you'll be getting a little punishment. I believe you'll enjoy it.”

“Huh?”

The elevator doors opens and Ignis walks out, nearly leaving Prompto alone in the elevator before he manages to get himself moving. He catches him at Ignis’ door, reaching out to grab him before he opens the entrance to his apartment and slips past his reach. 

“Ignis, seriously, I’m gettin’ nervous here.” 

  
With the door closed, Ignis stands in front of Prompto, taking his tie in his hands to undo it in such a slow way that Prompto fidgets in his spot. “There’s nothing to be nervous about.  _ Trust _ me, Prompto. I’m going to give you what you want.”

“You are?”

“Under my terms.” He lets the tie slip through his fingers onto the floor, then starts to unbutton his shirt. “I have to admit, I’ve thought about this often. Your little stunt did nothing to sate that.”

“I-is that good? Bad?”

“Very good.” He answers, pushing the shirt off his shoulders and once it’s off, Prompto tries to reach out for him again. Ignis quickly takes his wrists again, shifting to switch them off to one hand as his now free hand loosens his own tie. Pulling it off, he lets Prompto go but takes his shoulder to turn him around. “Hands behind your back.”

“O-okay,” Prompto nods, moving them back for Ignis to cross his wrists over each other to bind them together with his tie. “Wait, I can’t touch you like this.”

“You won’t be.”

“Why not?”

“You had your fill earlier.”

“Oh, trust me, I did not.”

“Think of it this way: you were so bothered by me not having a turn earlier?” Prompto nods, looking over his shoulder to him. “It’s my turn.”

“Wh--”

“Quiet.” He shuts his mouth without another sound. “You listen to me so easily. Why can’t you be this cooperative while we’re out hunting?” Prompto shrugs, unsure if he could say anything. “You deny me just as much. It’s quite cruel, you know.” Ignis runs his hands over Prompto’s sides, putting them on his hips to turn him around after a moment. “Showing that beautiful body of yours just out of reach of me every morning. You really should wear more clothes in the tent. It’s rather unfair.”

“I don’t have to now, do I?” Prompto manages to quip, making Ignis huff a laugh before he gives a smirk.

“I suppose not. If you want everyone to know you’re mine now.” Ignis leans in to kiss him, and automatically Prompto tries to bring his hands forward to hold onto him, but the tie around his wrists keeps him from doing so. He notes the movement briefly before he moves his hands inward, undoing Prompto’s belt and sliding it off from his hips, then working open his pants. 

“I-I--” Prompto stutters, peeking down to Ignis’ hands before he looks back up to him. “Are we--”

“You are. For now. Patience, Prompto. Trust me that you’ll be very pleased with this outcome.”

“I’m not good at that.”

“I know you aren’t. You’ll just have to try.”

As he speaks, Ignis works off Prompto’s pants, leaving him in only his boxers. He has to kneel down to work the pants off of his legs, removing his shoes and socks first (which embarrasses Prompto, of course; who does that for someone else?) before the pants can be removed completely. He’s half hard already from anticipation, trying to avoid looking at Ignis until his chin is grabbed, forcing him to face his direction. 

“Come with me.” He breathes out to the blonde, taking a step backwards. Prompto doesn’t even think as he takes the step forward. He’s led to a chair that Ignis pulls out to sit in the center of an empty space, taking Prompto’s arm and making him stand in front of it. “Your skin is hot to the touch right now. Feeling alright?”

“ _ Great _ .” Prompto says, knowing he was trying to poke fun. It was working, if he was trying to get a rise out of him. 

“Look at me.” Easily, he turns to face Ignis after he says that, and the other man reaches his hands in to hook his thumbs underneath the waistband of his boxers. “I’m giving you a chance to take an out here. Do you want it?”

“No.  _ No. _ Do it.”

Ignis chuckles under his breath, pushing off the remainder of his clothing so that Prompto is standing bare in front of him. “Sit.” Prompto doesn’t move fast enough, causing Ignis to push him back into it. He just barely prevents the chair from tipping backwards from the impact, his breath coming out shakily as he looks up to Ignis. “Don’t look so frightened.”

“I’m not,” he whispers, shaking his head. 

“No?”

“No,” he echoes, twisting his wrists to see if he could get them loose. No such luck. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Oh… I’m still thinking about it. I’ve got some things in mind.”

“Like what?”

“I must admit. I have some less than innocent intentions in mind for you. How do you handle pain, Prompto?”

“Uhhhhh…” Prompto looks around the room, trying to think. How does he handle it? Not well, typically, but that’s usually because whoever is out to hurt him wants it to be lethal, it’d seem. But he trusts Ignis. “I’ll… I’ll try it.”

“You can stop me at any time.” He leans in, pressing a kiss to his lips before standing upright again. “I’ll be right back. Keep your eyes closed.”

“Okay,” he says softly, doing as he’s told as he listens to the sound of footsteps walking away from him. He’s trembling in his seat, if only for how anxious he was to get started. He’s never been naked in front of Ignis before-- well, definitely not like this. Skinny dipping in a lake at night was nothing compared to this. Come to think of it, he’s not sure he’s ever seen Ignis undressed completely, either. He hopes he’ll get to change that soon.

As Ignis comes back, something Prompto only notices because he’s peeking through his eyelashes, he holds something behind his back. “I can tell you’re looking, Prompto.”

“Shit. Sorry.”

“Your curiosity will get the better of you here, I’m sure. But bear with me here. Eyes closed.”

Prompto buzzes his lips, but once more closes his eyes. He can sense a hand in front of his face, checking to see if he was looking, and when Ignis is satisfied with his compliance, he feels something smooth and cool brushing over his thigh. “What is that?”

“Why would I ruin the surprise?” 

“Feels like leather…” 

“Don’t guess, either.” His demand is punctuated with a swat on his thigh with whatever it was Ignis was holding, causing Prompto to gasp in surprise. It stings his skin a little where he’d hit, but he knows the hit was light, that Ignis was holding back. He’s not sure if he appreciates it or wants him to give it his all. 

While he’s thinking, Ignis trails the leather loop from Prompto’s leg, up his torso until he’s tilting his chin up with the loop. He holds him there for a moment to just examine him before he swats at Prompto’s other thigh, a little harder than the first time. Prompto jumps in his seat, eyes flying open out of his shock and he sees Ignis standing there with his arms starting to cross, a riding crop in his right hand. 

“Nice going.”

“Just blindfold me if you don’t want me to look.”

“Don’t sound so eager. I don’t want to obscure your face. You’re too pretty for that.”

“Jeez…”

“Just try to keep them closed for now.” Ignis requests, and Prompto is so soft for him that he does it. “Good.” 

“I didn’t know you were into this kind of stuff, Igs,” he mumbles, shivering as the tongue of the crop is traced over his skin. 

“We’ve all got our secrets, don’t we? Not exactly something I can share. I’m sure you’ve got your own.”

“Shit, I dunno,” is said with an awkward laugh. He’s never really thought about it. He’ll have to put some thought into it later. Not right now. He couldn't think right now about anything other than the whipping from Ignis that he was getting, and how hard he was at this very second. His cock is standing at full attention now, something he hadn’t expected from a couple of smacks with a strip of leather, but it makes his breath come out a little harder than before.

“We’ll find out eventually. In the meantime,” Ignis brings the crop around to hit the side of Prompto’s left thigh sharply, making him hiss. “This will do, won’t it?”

“As long as you’re doing it.” Prompto lets that slip before he can think about it, but it’s painfully honest. “I’ll try anything you want.”

“You’re going to give me a big head.”

“Which one?”

“Hm. Well played.” Ignis gives, lifting his whip to smack it carefully against Prompto's cheeks. “But I can only give you that,” and he punctuates it with a hard wack to his upper thighs. 

“A-ah,” comes out of his mouth, unable to stop himself. He presses his legs together, trying to hide… something. He's not sure what, but he's flustered enough that he wants to crawl into a hole and take cover there for a while. “Shi-- god.”

“Good boy.” When Ignis says this, it goes straight to Prompto’s cock, making him shudder with a fluttering of his eyes. “You're doing better than I expected.”

“What, you wanted me to cry or something?” Prompto hisses, furrowing his brows to try and keep his eyes shut again.

“Only out of pleasure. I can't bear to see you genuinely hurt.” That's touching. Really! It makes him flush a darker shade of red, something that had been steadily happening since he was pushed into the chair. “You can be as loud as you like, I should mention. Nobody can hear you.” As though to emphasize his point, Ignis strikes at his chest, pulling a loud, startled noise from the blonde. “Like that. What a pretty sound from such a pretty mouth.”

“Hh--” Prompto exhales harshly, unable to help himself when he glares up at Ignis. The crop is tucked under his arm, his hands unbuckling his belt as he raises a brow. 

“You're not very good at keeping them closed, are you?”

“I-- I want to see you.” He says it so honestly that Ignis doesn't scold him for it. 

“Then watch.” Ignis relents, but he doesn't remove the belt, instead letting it hang loose around his waist. He then works his pants open, still not letting them fall farther than he needs to to work his cock out of the confines of his pants. He's hard, almost as hard as Prompto felt, and he wants to bring his hands forward to touch him. He tries to do so, forgetting the binding of his wrists, and pouts. “Be good.”

“I’m trying.”

“Try harder.” His voice is stern, but he sets the riding crop down to reach out for the back of the chair Prompto sits on. Bringing himself closer, he holds his cock in his free hand to guide it to Prompto’s lips. It makes his mouth fall open in surprise, looking between his erection and Ignis’ face. 

“You-- yeah? I can?”

“You can.”

Prompto shudders as he reaches forward, looking up at Ignis when he swipes his tongue over the head of his cock. Ignis’ eyes just barely flutter, but he keeps his gaze trained on him, wanting to see him work.

“Have you done this before?”

“Umm. Yeah, I guess so,” he says quietly, not wanting to think about it right now. He doesn't want to think about anything other than making Ignis feel good.

“Fine by me. That just means I don't have to go slow.”

His eyes are wide, but Ignis pokes at his lips and Prompto easily opens his mouth for him. Pushing past his lips, Ignis hardly makes a sound other than a low groan in his throat, and his hand comes up to run through Prompto’s slicked back hair. It takes him no time at all to muss up the blonde hair, curling his fingers in to guide his head forward. 

Prompto, on his part, was feeling very good about this. His jaw slackens, letting Ignis pull him in as he muffles a pleased noise around him, eyes slipping closed. It's been a while since he's given head, but he feels confident in his ability to do it well. Ignis deserves the effort either way. The only thing he regrets is being unable to touch him, move him at his own pace. Whatever. Prompto will gladly do anything Ignis asks of him. 

His hand cradles the back of his head after guiding him a few times, allowing him to go how he pleases for a moment. Ignis’ head tips back, shifting a leg to move in closer to Prompto’s mouth that was sucking him off so damn  _ well _ that Ignis lets himself sing praises for it. “That's it,” he breathes out, drawing Prompto’s attention back to his face. His blue eyes were trained on him now, a sight that makes even Ignis bite on his lip. “What's on that mind of yours?” 

All Prompto is able to do in response is try to tug at his binding, and narrows his eyes up at Ignis for even asking.

“Hm. Not yet.” Prompto groans around him in slight frustration and it makes Ignis shiver. “Trust me. I’ll make it worth your while.”

Prompto gives then, sucking his dick with his (mostly) full attention. His eyes would slip shut every so often before Ignis would tug his hair hard, pulling or pushing him this way and that. If Ignis was doing it, he'll let him do anything. Ignis rocks his hips in time with Prompto's head bobbing, huffing and groaning every so often at how skilled his mouth was. 

“Answer me this, love,” he says as steady as he can, “where?” Ignis releases his grip on Prompto’s hair, letting him pull away to answer, but all he does is push further forward, taking him deeper into his mouth with a muffled whine. “Are you sure?” It's said a little strained, trying to contain himself. He doesn't want to catch him off guard, make him choke or anything-- though the thought  _ is _ appealing. 

“Mm-mmhm…”

Ignis sighs as he puts his hand back on Prompto’s head, pulling him in again. Prompto sounds very pleased when Ignis’ other hand comes in to grab his hair, thrusting into his mouth with a purpose: Prompto wants him to cum in his mouth, he implied so himself, and that's just what he'll do. His breathing comes out harder, but he tries to stay level headed for it until his mouth falls open with a heavy sigh when he hits his climax, eyes shutting with a knit of his brows. 

The blonde tries to be ready for it when Ignis pulls him in close, almost deepthroating him by the time he finishes. Prompto is so fucking hard it's all he can think about when Ignis pulls out of his mouth, leaving him panting and gasping for breath. 

“Oh  _ god _ ,” he coughs out, blinking away tears from his eyes. 

“You're so good, Prompto,” Ignis finally says, grabbing his chin with his fingers to kiss him. He slips his tongue past his lips, tasting himself in Prompto’s mouth with a heady groan. Prompto just wiggles in his grasp, trying to break free from him to speak.

“Please, Iggy,” he nearly cries, his breath hitching and shaking. “Touch me, please, I’m gonna fucking cry, I wanna cum so bad.” 

“Yeah? How badly?” He asks, tucking himself back into his pants. 

“I’ll do anything,  _ anything _ , I  _ mean _ it, please!” He struggles against the tie around his wrists, wanting nothing more than to be freed from the confines of the knot. “ _ Ignis _ .”

Ignis sizes him up briefly, but reaches his hand back to undo the knot that holds his wrists together. With his hands free, Prompto brings them back to his front, his fingers shaking as he reaches out for Ignis. “No, no,” he shushes him, kissing his lips quickly. “Show me how you like it.”

Prompto makes a frustrated sound before he sinks back in the chair, wrapping his fingers around his cock. The touch alone makes him moan, he doesn't even have to move his hand yet for the sound to come tumbling out of his mouth. His head lolls back when he finally starts to jerk himself off, arching his back with a whine while Ignis watches him closely, and if he hadn’t just cum he would’ve been very close to it again. The way Prompto desperately tries to find some sort of relief before him was so  _ hot _ to watch, Ignis is about to work himself up a second time just to fuck his mouth again. 

“Iggy,” Prompto breathes out harshly, his mouth falling open as he pants. “Iggy, Iggy, Iggy--” It’s practically said in a mantra, stroking himself quickly and with his chest heaving, Prompto chokes out a sob. “Igs,  _ please, _ ” he cries, his free hand gripping at the chair to keep himself grounded.

“You want me to touch you?”

“ _ Please _ !”

Ignis relents, slipping a hand out of his glove and reaching in to replace Prompto’s hand with his own. Part of him wants to watch the process happen, but more than that, he wants to see Prompto’s face when he finds his release. He keeps his eyes on his face then, watching the way his mouth falls open and his eyes roll back, his hands moving to grasp at Ignis anywhere he could before Ignis swipes his thumb across the head of his cock. The sensation sends a jolt through his spine and he gasps when he cums, toes curling inward and his noise trails off into a loud moan. 

“Oh, _ fuck. _ ” Prompto sobs out, tears starting to stream down his cheeks. Ignis strokes him off until he’s finished and he slumps into the chair, giving a shuddery sigh. “Fuck, Ignis,” he breathes, and the man just pulls his hand away to lift his fingers to the blonde’s mouth. Prompto obediently parts his lips, letting Ignis slip his fingers into his mouth so he could clean them off with his tongue. He brings an unsteady hand to hold Ignis’ wrist in place, sucking his fingers dry before letting go.

“You did  _ so _ good.” Ignis purrs after leaning over him, whispering into his ear. “How do you feel?”

“ _ So  _ good…” Prompto just barely manages to speak, tipping forward to press his cheek into the other man’s shoulder. 

“What else?”

“Tired.”

“I thought you might be.” Gathering Prompto up into his arms, he carries him to the bedroom. His clothes were thrown about the front room and they would surely get wrinkled, but Ignis doesn’t care. He can borrow some of his clothes. 

He sets Prompto down onto the bed, pulling back the covers to urge him to get underneath them. Prompto does as he requests, holding his arms out for Ignis to come into them, though when he starts to, Prompto brings them back. “Wait.” Ignis quirks a brow in question. “I’m the only one naked. That’s not fair.”

“No. I suppose it isn’t.” He has to at least give him that. He works off his clothing, folding them before he sets them down, to crawl into the bed. Prompto is quick to wrap himself around Ignis, arms around his middle with a leg hooked around one of his. His head rests on Ignis’ chest.

“I love you,” Prompto murmurs, shutting his eyes. 

“I love you too. Get some rest.” 

  
Prompto doesn’t reply. Ignis notices he’d already fallen asleep. That’s fine with him. He kisses his hair, then leans back into the pillows. It was late. They could use the sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Prompto is reluctant to wake up.

He's so comfortable next to Ignis’ warm body, the feeling of their skin pressed together, the arm around him. Everything about him was so good. He slides a hand over Ignis’ chest, but his eyes stay closed for a moment longer. 

Then he realizes something he'd completely forgotten about the night before. Ignis was undressed next to him, something he even thought about before everything started last night. Prompto lifts his head a little to peek down at his bare chest, but before he can do anything further, Ignis peeks out at him with a slight grin.

“You're up.”

“Uh! So are you!”

“Since when have you ever woken up before me?” Ignis teases lightly, moving a hand to rest on Prompto’s hair, guiding his head in to kiss his temple. 

“Never, I guess. You're up way too early.” 

“An adviser’s job is never done.”

“Sleep with me longer,” he whines, hugging him tight. He pulls him down onto the mattress, trying to keep him down so he could hold him.

“Now, now,” Ignis rubs a hand down his back, resting his cheek against blonde hair. “I’ll stay as long as I can.”

It turns out not to be very long. Ignis’ phone sounds from the table beside the bed, making him sigh as he reaches it to grab it. He keeps an arm around Prompto, looking at the caller and sucking in a quiet breath. 

“Yes?” Ignis says into the phone after answering, and Prompto wants very badly to ask who it was. “No, I-- Yes, I understand. My apologies about last night. There was an incident like I had mentioned. He was not feeling well, I couldn't rightly let him walk home, as far as we were.” He doesn't speak for a moment, glancing to Prompto from the corner of his eye. “Like I said. He wasn't feeling well. He's with me.”

Prompto doesn't listen anymore. He's starting to get nervous, only hearing the one side of the conversation. Ignis sits upright, putting on his glasses and running a hand through his hair. He never sees him do that. 

“Right. Certainly. I’ll be there soon.” Ignis hangs up the phone without another word, looking to Prompto with a conflicted expression. 

“Um… everything okay?”

“It was just Gladio. He wants to “question” me, as he put it.” 

“About…?”

“Us, I’m assuming.” Prompto doesn't say anything. “I could be wrong. But I suspect they believe we’re up to something.”

“W-why would they think anything?” 

“I believe it has something to do with your birthday.” 

“Uh.”

“Think about it. We danced together. I was the one that went after you at the bar. You left after talking to me. I… may have been a bit unresponsive until I worked up the nerve to get the key to your apartment. I fumbled, I admit.”

“You were that upset about it?” Prompto frowns, sitting up then and reaching for his shoulders. “Man, I'm sorry.”

“It's alright.” Ignis sighs. “As Gladio put it, it's “not cool” to keep secrets about our relations. I’m afraid I have to come clean, lest we cause a divide in the group.”

Prompto looks down at the bed, then nods. “Yeah. I guess I get that.”

“You don't have to come. Nor do you have to continue… this. If you are truly uncomfortable with the potential outcome, I’m willing to return to our prior friendship.”

“No way,” Prompto answers quickly, looking to Ignis who was avoiding his gaze. “I-I don't want that. I’m going with you. And I’m staying with you.”

Ignis looks back at him, glancing down to the mattress before he reaches for Prompto, pulling him into a hug. “That's a relief. Thank you.”

“You don't gotta thank me for anything!” Prompto smiles at him, pulling his head down to kiss him. “I really want to be here. I mean-- there's so much about you that I love! You're so great! A great friend, a great cook, a great adviser… great in bed,” he adds cheekily, making Ignis roll his eyes.

“Yes, well. Let's keep that to ourselves, shall we?”

“Fine, fine. But I’m serious! There's so much about you, I can't even begin to list them all.” Ignis really was amazing. Prompto typically feels inferior, but he feels loved now, and especially by somebody so incredible-- it was kind of an eye opener. He doesn't want to say it's giving him self worth, but it's certainly a mood booster. 

“Come,” Ignis says eventually, getting out of the bed and holding a hand out to Prompto. He takes it easily. “I’ve got at least a shirt that you can wear. Perhaps you should start leaving clothes here.” 

“I-I can wear my pants from last night, it's okay. Um. I’ll take a shirt though.”

“I’ll try to behave myself.” Ignis kisses him briefly, and Prompto tries to get a good look at his body before he's able to get dressed, making him bite on his lip.

“Me too.”

Ignis goes through one of his drawers to pull out a t-shirt. He hardly wears them, but it still smells like him when he hands it over to Prompto, who holds it up to his nose quickly before he pulls it on. 

Walking out of the bedroom, Prompto goes searching for his pants, tugging them on after a short glance to the chair that he'd sat in the night before. The memory makes him blush a little. He turns back, going to see how Ignis was doing. Already dressed, Ignis looks at him with an outstretched hand.

Prompto easily takes it. 

“I just want to make sure. You don't mind telling them?”

“Yeah. I’m not ashamed or anything! I was worried about making people upset, but-- I really like you, Specs. I don't want to be without that.”

“Right. We're meeting at the coffee shop nearby Noct’s place. Public, but at least they likely won't start a scene as a result.”

Despite the reassurance for one another that they want this, they care for each other so much, they're quiet on the way to the shop. They just hold the other's hand while Ignis drives them there. Before getting out of the car, Prompto stops him to give him a kiss, like it's the last thing they'll do. It's as tender as he could make it, holding his face in his hands and exhaling shakily against his lips when they part. 

“We’ll be okay.”

Without another word, they exit the car and head into the cafe. 

Noctis and Gladio were sitting in a booth, both on the same side and Prompto isn't sure if he's thankful or if he's embarrassed. He gets into the other side first, Ignis joining him after. There were already four cups on the table, the black coffee pushed in front of Ignis, the light one to Prompto.

“Hey, guys!” Prompto says cheerily, trying to hide how anxious he feels. Noctis grins at him, but Gladio squints in his direction. “What's up?”

“Oh, I think you know what's up.”

“Not really, no!”

“This can't be necessary, Gladio.” Ignis says a little exasperatedly before the man turns to look at him instead.

“I’m not doing anything,” Gladiolus answers, taking a drink from his coffee. 

“You've brought us here as though to interrogate us. So why don't we cut to the chase?”

“Don't want to be here?” Noctis asks, leaning back in the booth.

“I didn't say that. You know I’m always by your side.”

“We all are, aren't we?” Prompto adds from behind the rim of his cup, looking between the three men. “I don't know what this is about, but we're best friends. Right? We’re always with each other.”

“We are,” Noctis and Ignis say together, while Gladiolus nods in agreement. 

“Right,” Ignis continues then, “then why don't we discuss what's on your minds?”

“I’m just curious, is all.” Gladio starts, looking to Noctis, then back to the two. “What happened at the bar? Prom, you've never done that before.”

“I-- I, uh. I was just really drunk and I said some things that… maybe I shouldn't have said. Why do you have to know?”

“We don't, I guess. But you two have been acting kind of shady recently. Just want to make sure you're both okay.”

“That's kind of you, Noct, but I don't believe this is the way to go about it. You could just ask what's on your mind.”

Noctis and Gladio look at each other for a while, and Prompto can't take it. The silence was killing him. He feels like he's done something wrong when he knows he hasn't. “We're--” he starts, but he falters until Ignis lowers a hand to rest on his leg. He feels a little more courageous from it. “I-- I love Ignis, guys.”

Gladio’s brows raise in surprise while Noctis crosses his hands over the table. Prompto chews on the inside of his cheek, looking to Ignis uncertainty. Ignis just nods before he addresses the other two. “Noct, I’m sorry. I tried very hard to restrain myself, knowing Prompto is your best friend. I don't want to complicate things between you two. I… am willing to step down from my position if it would make it easier for you.”

“What?” Prompto says suddenly, looking to him and reaching for his arm to grab. “Ig, no way. You can’t do that.”

“Hell no, he can't,” Noctis snorts, reaching out to kick Ignis’ shoe. “Are you serious? It's like I’m in a drama series here. You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not, Iggy. You too, Prompto,” he adds with a glance his way.

“Then why the meeting? Why not just ask? I don't lie to you, Noct.”

“Blame Gladio. He's the one that's all up in a tizzy about this.”

Ignis and Prompto look at the man in question, who gives Noctis a sour look. “I’m not in a tizzy about it. Look,” he directs their way next, “I’m just curious. Why didn't anybody say anything? I figure this is, like, a big deal, right? You two dating is like… I just want to make sure you're sure.”

“I’m sure!” Prompto quickly answers, “look at him! He's amazing!”

“Gross,” Noctis groans, making Ignis scoff. 

“So, you're serious.”

“Very.”

“When did this happen?”

“I, um. I told Ignis I liked him at the bar and he… well, he didn't say anything. I got really embarrassed and left. When he came by using your spare, we sort of talked about it, and… yeah.”

“You didn't say anything? That's cold, Ignis.”

“Yes, well, forgive me for not wanting to take advantage of a drunk Prompto. Which, by the way. Don't do that again. Moderation. Don't enable him.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Gladiolus looks between the two of them, then to Noctis. They seem to come to a conclusion from the look alone before he says, “I approve.”

“Me too.”

“Appreciated.”

Prompto, on the other hand, is very excited about this news. He doesn't have to be cagey. He doesn't have to hide it anymore. He can actually talk to his two friends now without worrying about them finding out and being mad at him. He laughs, throwing his arms around Ignis’ shoulders and hugging him tight. Ignis barely has time to put his cup down before he spills anything, giving a soft chuckle as he rubs at Prompto’s arm. “Yes!! You hear that, Igs? This is great!”

“But,” Noctis continues, pointing at the blonde. “Don't think this will let you get out of our weekly game night.”

“Are you kidding? No way! I’m gonna beat your ass tomorrow, you can count on that!”

Prompto laughs, still hanging off of Ignis’ arm when he leaned down to kiss his hair. It makes him startle a little, looking down to the table quickly to hide the flash of pink on his cheeks. Noctis picks up immediately and starts to poke fun at him, to which Gladiolus joins. Ignis holds him around his waist, pulling him in close with a smile. Prompto just looks up at him afterwards, and he's so full of love and happiness at the moment that he just kisses him. He kisses him and hides his eyes in his shoulder while Ignis looks to their two friends. 

“I love you guys.” He mumbles out into Ignis’ shoulder. Ignis just hums with a pleased noise, running his hand over his back.

“We love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> hi i haven't waltzed in years so if you're an expert and want to correct me don't :)


End file.
